It could be possible that Oak's pokeball was the first mass produced design, and older balls, like Lokoko's ball, were handcrafted for specific pokemon partners. It's possible that the modern design has been in use for centuries, but before the modern balls existed, they had to painstakingly crafted by hand from things like Apricorns, and the capsule ball that young Oak uses is an early attempt at mechanizing that process. Not quite as well crafted, but made cheaply enough that most people can get them.
I also believe relics like those found at Pokéopolis are also an ancient form of Pokéball, designed to store a specific one per relic but still. It also coincides with the Stone Pokéball used to catch Claydoll, Perhaps they originally used the relics on real pokemon, but they devised the actual pokeball to use on their artificial construct pokemon; like the Baltoy line, the Reggies, Sigiglyph, or even the Golurk line. Maybe they just switched over to those because they were more effective and not limited to a single individual pokemon? Perhaps that’s when they discovered Apricorns, and the traditional way of Ball crafting was formed; then somewhere down the line the first mass produced pokeballs emerged, similar to the one Oak had as a child?
@@skelitonking117 The Pokeball-Imagery known before the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION! More than just Xatu and its Evolution can see into the Future!! Get it?
Okay, here is one thing though... what if that symbol... the symbol of the Pokeball... is actually an ancient symbol used through out the world... and the modern Pokeball is based off of that symbol? That would explain a lot...
Sidenote, i genuinly love how Kalos included a Pokeball Factory in the game. Thats such an awesome idea, genuinly insane to think...oh yeah they must be made somewhere in large amounts.
About that Poké Ball Factory- am I the only one who sees it as such a missed opportunity that there are no Voltorb or Electrode to be found there? They're even in the right section of the Kalos Dex for this!
@@timwoods2852 that's what I thought when I heard giant stone pokeball. Could the first Pokemon ball be related to the dynamax energy and specifically the galar region. Which we now know contains a breeding ground for legendary pokemon.
You bringing up infinity energy made me think, “huh, what if when the ultimate weapon was fired the beam hit an asteroid belt, giving Pokémon life energy to rocks in space that eventually fell down to earth, making the more alien-like rock/ice/steel Pokémon?”
@@BirdKeeperToby Only issue with Deoxys is how could it exist in the non Mega timeline if, according to how we classify its difference from the Mega timeline, the Ultimate Weapon was never fired
@@BirdKeeperToby The Pokeball-Imagery known before the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION! More than just Xatu and its Evolution can see into the Future!! Get it?
what if fthe pokeball design originated from a cultural symbol of old. So like the pokemon worlds yin yang, or sun wheel, or (insert ancient symbol here) that as opportunities for creating things like megearna and pokeballs, it was one of the more widely known symbols. it couldve just been a symbol that was drawn or jewelry made way in the ancient days that symbolized a bond with pokemon. and thus when people started making pokeballs that was the natural choice. but if its such a recurring sybol throughout time, its likely that it didnt start out as a pokeball and wouldve been adaptedd to that purpose when technology allowed
The Pokeball-Imagery known before the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION! More than just Xatu and its Evolution can see into the Future!! Get it?
Toby, you should revisit this sometime because now that Pokémon legends Arceus is out, we now know that the pokeball was a “recent invention” So what does that mean for the original pokeball’s creation?
*Lillie holds a Rotom-dex as she goes to Galar upgrade to a Roto-Phone* Technically is evolving so fast... I wonder how the next pokeball will look like soon?
If it’s anything like our real world technology, and how we progress with technology, it’ll look a lot smaller, be a lot more efficient, and perhaps store multiple Pokemon. I doubt this will happen though, it will be too overpowered.
I'm thinking the Pokeballs will become more like Great balls and so forth. Thinking about how animals evolve, I wouldn't be surprised if the next games introduce pokemon that are stronger, and stats will start off higher than in previous games. We'll probably be seeing pokemon that aren't Legendaries but have similar stats as the cap.
@Charlie Henry Rotom Pokeball is already theorized by many people to be Voltorb. But since Pokeballs are literally meant to capture Pokemon its soul is stuck there fused with the pokeball itself.
I would say the symbol we see as the pokeball, the large ring with two smaller rings and the line across, is an ancient symbol associated with Pokémon and Sylph and Devon choose to decorate their versions with it as a nod to the symbol.
hearing you describe this is cool and all, but all I could think of was how absolutely BONKERS and cool it would be if we got a Pokemon Colisseum 3 kind of game, big open rpg, combining all the different regions and Pokedexs, with the premise being that Pokeballs are acting up and not working around the world, and it turns out to be a plot from a defector within Silph Co. or Devon, maybe ex-employees from both companies forming a third underground one, something like that. I didn't even know I wanted it and now it's all I want from the next Pokemon game.
The Pokeball-Imagery known before the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION! More than just Xatu and its Evolution can see into the Future!! Get it?
I'll give you two supporting points: Considering Lokoko's pokeball, it might have beeon one of the handcrafted ones make by a ball-smith, while Sam's is one of the early attempts to industrialize the creation. Considering their similar looks and means of use, it's the artistic vs industrial versions. And to the ever present imagery, it might be the concept and philosphy of the 'capture device'. The spherical shape best for containing something, with the crack being important. Spiritomb's entry says the spirits were bound to the crack in the stone. So that split and central circle might be the symbolic or functional control cap and release point for the energy.
Also with 108 in Pokemon GO, for the Halloween events you usually have to catch 108 pokemen, use 108 berries, do all sorts of 108 things. I never knew this about Spiritomb but it has been a reward catchie from the Halloween stuff so it all tracks. Interesting. Thanks for the video.
Before watching want to state what I've noticed is the classic pokeball design does appear in nature and is even used to lure or distract pokemon like on Amoongus and more recently on galarian Stunfisk as something to draw them in. Just something I've noticed that may have popularized the design.
Awesome theory Toby! You've now got me asking how Kurt and others even go about making PokéBalls? Especially when these people don't seem to be inherently magical in nature. Infinity Energy seems way more commercial than the means by which they obtain it.
Wait. New Mauville. That’s literally the backstory to The Vaults in _Fallout._ Devon Corp. is VaultTech confirmed???? EDIT: Perhaps the iconic PokéBall shape (a circle divided horizontally into two semicircles with a smaller circle between) is an example of a type of symbol that has had universal importance in the PokéWorld. Many fictional worlds have such symbols in their respective mythologies. It may be a symbol that has always been used in a related manner to the Pokémon creatures. Maybe that specific symbol represents Infinity Energy????
The Pokeball-Imagery known before the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION! More than just Xatu and its Evolution can see into the Future!!
How do we know that the symbol of the poke ball is actually representing a poke ball it could have represented something else but over time it was adopted to actually become the main design element of the the modern day pokeball. They could have just been the symbol of Pokémon in the Old days
I think this power aura among humans could explain how some humans can raise their pokemon so strong so quick and why there isn't many people who train up absurdly high level mons
Really fascinating video! It all makes so much sense, I want to believe its canon now. Especially with time walks (we know they exist due to Dialga) the modern image and symbol of the Pokeball could have been transferred into any time where humans existed in the Pokemon World.
I belive the "Lococo" throwable pokeball was the most efficient design since it allowed for the trainer to keep at a safe range while catching the pokemon. I theorize the pokeball goes back around 600 years ago and the idea spread around the world, but the technology to capture the pokemon wasnt refined so it was dropped. On and off throughout the years, scientists and alchamists kept trying to increase the capture rate for wild pokemon untill a young Samuel Oak and Kurt cracked the code and allowed for Sylf Co to use the their technology to improve on it, recreating a reliable modern day pokeball.
My house didn’t get WiFi till I was in middle school which was 2010 So I went through the whole dial up phone internet later than the rest of the world lmao
I feel like it would make more sense that the Pokeballs manipulate Infinity Energy instead of it being used in its creation. I doubt Devon and Silph are absorbing IE en masse
Oak's pokeball definitely looks like it's made of metal and plastic rather than out of Apricorns, which makes me think it was an early attempt of using manmade materials to make a pokeball
I DO INDEED WONDER ABOUT THESE THINGS OFTEN. The Spiritomb point is new to me! Thinking along these lines, it seems the advent of the modern Pokéball would lead to a lot of over-catching...kinda exemplified by Gou in the most recent season (as much as I love the kid). I wonder if this has been a source of conflict between Pokémon and humans before (Great War?), or if it will be in the future. Great vid! :D
I'll ask though, considering what we see in the anime from Faba with the shrinking ray, and what we see in both the games and show with practically hammerspace bags, how do you think the pokeball connects to item storage?
Okay but how about: a circle with a smaller circle inside with a line through it being a commonly used image for controlling pokemon in general. The modern pokeball was designed to have the front of it look like this symbol.
The theory that pokemon sword and shield being far into the future makes sense since we haven't gotten any character-crossovers like in most pokemon games.
i love how your phone wallpaper is master chief. many people think hes a guy who shoots good but i know that he is a guy who shoots good because he has a tragic backstory. i love the theory as well, history is one of my stronger subjects so obviously i enjoy this sort of stuff.
Where? I played those games, I don't recall anything like that... But it was a while ago so I could be wrong. But location please, I would like to pull up the game see it if it exists.
15:27 There's another outlier. In Ep232, Waiting on a Friend, there's a Ninetales with a Pokeball that's been waiting for its trainer for 200 years. There are several explanations for these inconsistencies: 1. They're non-canon, ignore them. This leaves me unsatisfied so I will delve into my preferred explanations. 2. The appearance of the Pokeball predates modern Pokeball designs. People misinterpret out of place artifacts all of the time in our world. Why should the world of Pokemon be any different? This ties in with some of my other explanations 3. They're apricorn balls. My interpretation of Apricorns is wildly different from Toby's. Toby seems to think they just provide the shell. I believe that capture mechanism is actually a natural defense of the plant. 4. Pokeballs are actually much older than originally thought. Don't get me wrong, they probably weren't commonplace until the aforementioned 30-40 years ago, but it's similar to Ford and cars. Before that point, they were a rich man's novelty and had rather poor accuracy and quality control.
Great video! I really like exploring how the existence of Pokemon has shaped the society and technology of the Pokemon world. It’s also scary to think the power Silph co and Devon have and what the could do with it. Thank Arceus they made the pokeball accesible to all the population.
I'm pretty sure Sir Aaron didn't put Lucario in and out of the staff like a Poké Ball multiple times. He sealed Lucario in his staff so he couldn't stop him from saving the Tree of Beginning. It was just the one time.
2 things: i like the idea that the idea /shape of a pokeball is based off a 2d drawing of binding a pokemon in energy form (small circle) and 2 parts to bind it. Top is the item based on the Smith and thats why it gains the details. Bottom is the the creature masters or aura masters. It takes both to fully seal up the pokemon in this form to be carried around. Other thing is that this can be an explanation as to why you cannot catch a fainted pokemon and how a pokemon can break free if it really doesnt want to be captured. It be required to use the pokemon's own aura to power the pokeball. The pokemon fights to regain control of its aura and breaks the seals. This is why a pokeball has only one try. And why you can make pokeballs that are better at catching certain pokemon. The seals inside are already pre geared for that type of aura and can control and bind that pokemon more easily. This would make masterballs really dark because if it always works then that means it already has a full battery of life energy in it that is so strong that the pokemon's energy cant break the seals. "How did they harness that much life energy to do that?" Maybe that's why there is only one masterball per game. Plus it leans into the anime and manga a bit with the friendship thing because if a pokemon choses to not fight and lets its aura be used then it is captured regardless of pokeball used. Leaning back to the pokemon choses the trainer. Oh and perhaps the seal in the pokeball for loyalty or whatever is linked to whoever throws the pokeball. Thats why traded pokemon require gym badges. Excpet that doesnt work with gift pokemon... You are the theorist figure it out I'm giving you gold on a player here.
Mini theory: the pokeball design is a common one, much like spirals and stars are in our world. It just made sense to apply it to the revolutionary new device known as a Pokeball
Makes so much sense! I always suspected that aura is the reason for so much in the Pokémon world. It’s what protects Pokémon in battles from truly getting hurt and protects trainers from their Pokémon’s attacks. So a Pokémon can’t hop Pokémon balls because it’s life force is bound to that one? Well that explains why it’s one shot or nothing
Sooo what your saying is we should have still beat ghistus and not necessarily thrown N's free your pokemom and live with them in harmony idea out the window so fast....damn I I didn't care for black and white but I did enjoy the story and when you hear this theory it just made it so much darker lol great video.
i think it’s possible that oak’s pokeball wasn’t necessarily how all pokeballs were back then, maybe it was just the kind that were available at retail or to young trainers at the time, because the tech was either very expensive or difficult to produce commercially
Something to keep in mind about the keystone, it isn't pokemon souls getting bound to the rock dude. It's actually human souls getting mashed together until the conglomeration of all those ghosts becomes a new pokemon, with each dead human just becoming a part it's body, a whisper in the back of it's mind. The pokemon itself is an entirely new entity
Maybe the basic design is an ancient symbol that is the inspiration for the modern balls as well as Magearna. Some of the older balls could be various attempts to duplicate the ancient items
The GS ball in the manga is used to catch celebi and has the title of "the pokeball that can capture time itself" And the capture net is made of the rainbow wing and silver wing
Regarding Opal there was recently a theory that Diantha might be her daughter/granddaughter. They look a bit similar (compared to young Opal) and maybe since Diantha moved to Kalos she did not have a person to handle the Gym to. Also Garderovoir is part Fairy and has the same type combo as Hatterene (Bede/her successor Ace). Just some food for thought:-)
1- Modern pokeballs can be a rediscovery of ancient and lost technology. 2- France 3- Pokeballs, at least in the anime, seem to be a modern and technological version of magical containment vessels. Like those shown in the Pokemopolis episode, or a genie's lamp, or Dragon Ball's thermos used to contain people with the Mafuba. They may even still be just a technological way to basically do a magic sealing spell. After all, Pokemon are basically just yokai.
Maybe the modern pokeball design, Was inspired by ancient art however they couldn't fit the technology into the package that's why professor oak's old style pokeball looked so strange. It also answers the question why Sliphco was so popular and became such a big company because they were the first to manufacture pokeballs that fit the ancient design cues.
imo the pokeball design was just a popular image a couple hundred years before, and was used for modern pokeballs simply because it was a familiar, iconic image in history
I want a spin off game that’s all about the Devon and Silph companies rivalry. Like the type of pokeballs you use are branded one company or the other. The two companies start trying to compete in underhanded ways.
The button and twist designs couldve been 2 seperate concepts designed by 2 competing companies. The button design couldve been more appealing for simplicity or whatever. Eventually the twist design would've been scrapped due to the success of its competition.
I would love to see a follow-up to this after Pokémon Legends: Arceus comes out that takes into account information from that game and the recently translated "Lost Pokedex" or whatever people are calling it
Just a side note i have a theory that infinity energy and synergy from pokken are the same thing because both can allow pokemon to mega evolve, and both require a bond to unlock mega evolution or even synergy burst. The reason why certain pokemon mega i though was because pokemon adapted to use synergy to become stronger while others ended up just getting a power boost. Infinity energy and synergy are both the lifeforce of the pokemon world so its just something for you to consider making a theory about if you want.
I would take the pokeball design down a Lockstin path and say that the 2 main shapes of the pokeball are actually a style of rune that is known to be able to contain and bind infinity energy. That is why most anything that functions as a pokeball has that type of shape.
It would make sense that Pokeballs use Infinity Energy to bind the soul or spirit of the pokemon to it. It could explain why pokemon can break out of balls, perhaps their willpower or aura overwhelms the power in the ball. It also would make sense how pokeballs can be used to catch gods like the creation trio and arceus themselves: it isn't just technology, but magic as well that makes it possible to control the Creator.
I am curious as to what a regular pokeball is made from, seeing as it has no additional effects in terms of catching. And what properties the apricorns have that cause these effects.
For conflicting designs, you could attribute Oaks pokeball design to perhaps different manufacturers. Diff designs from different companies. Perhaps the conpany that made Oaks pokeball went out of business or got bought out by silph co
Never considered Spiritomb to inspire the pokeball but it makes sense! Sucks that the Pokemon canon can sometimes be a real mess though xD. Although that's why theories exist to make it make sense!
It's makes sense even with the artifacts from different points in time is they are all based on an ancient symbol based on an even older depiction of Arceus or rather, its ring. If not its ring, then when it is surrounded by all of its plates. Those would form the outer circle, while the head and feet would be the line through the middle, arceus' ring would be the smaller circle. Who knows?
I think your theory is pretty good even with the anime not being consistent at times likely due to how old some of the examples you showed are I doubt the show writers never really thought about it, Oaks ugly grey Pokeball could have just been a prototype or an early attempt at making mass produced Pokeballs. as for Lokoko's ball it was likely a custom made one since we know Kurt did make his own so who's to say other regions like Johto didn't also make their own before big companies attempted to mass produce them more effectively instead of trainers painstakingly crafting them by scratch
(haven't finished the vid when I wrote this) What about the alternate universes where the weapon wasn't fired? Where mega evolution doesn't exist. How would they make pokeballs without the oh so important energy. ?
It could be possible that Oak's pokeball was the first mass produced design, and older balls, like Lokoko's ball, were handcrafted for specific pokemon partners. It's possible that the modern design has been in use for centuries, but before the modern balls existed, they had to painstakingly crafted by hand from things like Apricorns, and the capsule ball that young Oak uses is an early attempt at mechanizing that process. Not quite as well crafted, but made cheaply enough that most people can get them.
I was going to say something similar actually
I also believe relics like those found at Pokéopolis are also an ancient form of Pokéball, designed to store a specific one per relic but still. It also coincides with the Stone Pokéball used to catch Claydoll, Perhaps they originally used the relics on real pokemon, but they devised the actual pokeball to use on their artificial construct pokemon; like the Baltoy line, the Reggies, Sigiglyph, or even the Golurk line. Maybe they just switched over to those because they were more effective and not limited to a single individual pokemon? Perhaps that’s when they discovered Apricorns, and the traditional way of Ball crafting was formed; then somewhere down the line the first mass produced pokeballs emerged, similar to the one Oak had as a child?
@@skelitonking117 The Pokeball-Imagery known before
the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented
is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION!
More than just Xatu and its Evolution can
see into the Future!!
Get it?
Okay, here is one thing though... what if that symbol... the symbol of the Pokeball... is actually an ancient symbol used through out the world... and the modern Pokeball is based off of that symbol? That would explain a lot...
I'd say that's confirmed.
But... What if the ancient Symbol is based off Foongus and Amoonguss.
Though so myself following the theory
@@nickdentoom1173 or voltorb
@@lewislast1603 Voltorb was most likely a thing after the Pokeballs were invented.
Sidenote, i genuinly love how Kalos included a Pokeball Factory in the game. Thats such an awesome idea, genuinly insane to think...oh yeah they must be made somewhere in large amounts.
Plus it had sick music so that's pretty pog
And they're obviously mass produced as a standard Pokéball costs only ¥200 and are available *everywhere*
About that Poké Ball Factory- am I the only one who sees it as such a missed opportunity that there are no Voltorb or Electrode to be found there? They're even in the right section of the Kalos Dex for this!
@@IAmMissingnoMaster it does seem strange that there weren't any but I also don't want every mystery answered.
I like to think the first pokeball was the giant stone pokeball used in the anime to catch a giant Claydol.
13:12 this was actually bought up in the video. I didn’t actually really know this, great minds think alike!
true
there is also the pokemon movie with lucario
If it came through a wormhole, it could have been a Dinamax ball, possibly an unperfected prototype.
@@timwoods2852 that's what I thought when I heard giant stone pokeball. Could the first Pokemon ball be related to the dynamax energy and specifically the galar region. Which we now know contains a breeding ground for legendary pokemon.
You bringing up infinity energy made me think, “huh, what if when the ultimate weapon was fired the beam hit an asteroid belt, giving Pokémon life energy to rocks in space that eventually fell down to earth, making the more alien-like rock/ice/steel Pokémon?”
That could make sense, many theories that that is how Deoxys came into being
@@BirdKeeperToby Only issue with Deoxys is how could it exist in the non Mega timeline if, according to how we classify its difference from the Mega timeline, the Ultimate Weapon was never fired
@@BirdKeeperToby The Pokeball-Imagery known before
the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented
is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION!
More than just Xatu and its Evolution can
see into the Future!!
Get it?
Look out for some HUGE announcements coming before the end of the month! :D
Why do I have a bad feeling about it
Yay
Maybe
Ooh, sounds very intriguing!
what if fthe pokeball design originated from a cultural symbol of old. So like the pokemon worlds yin yang, or sun wheel, or (insert ancient symbol here) that as opportunities for creating things like megearna and pokeballs, it was one of the more widely known symbols. it couldve just been a symbol that was drawn or jewelry made way in the ancient days that symbolized a bond with pokemon. and thus when people started making pokeballs that was the natural choice. but if its such a recurring sybol throughout time, its likely that it didnt start out as a pokeball and wouldve been adaptedd to that purpose when technology allowed
@@zanepickens8706 The Pokeball design can come from Foongus and Amoonguss, who have that Pokeball pattern.
Hoenn: *2020- GROUDON, KYOGRE, RAYQUAZA, DEOXYS, METEORITE STORMS, etc.*
Lol Deoxys is a virus and an alien. 2 for 1.
groodon keyogeree
He nearly just said “but hey, that’s just a theory. A Pokemon theory.”
AAAAAAAAAND CUT
Yeah it’s like a bad reality tv show tune in next time
The Pokeball-Imagery known before
the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented
is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION!
More than just Xatu and its Evolution can
see into the Future!!
Get it?
Toby, you should revisit this sometime because now that Pokémon legends Arceus is out, we now know that the pokeball was a “recent invention” So what does that mean for the original pokeball’s creation?
Toby: "This is my theory of how pokeballs came to be."
Pokemon legends arceus: "hold my beer."
*Lillie holds a Rotom-dex as she goes to Galar upgrade to a Roto-Phone*
Technically is evolving so fast... I wonder how the next pokeball will look like soon?
If it’s anything like our real world technology, and how we progress with technology, it’ll look a lot smaller, be a lot more efficient, and perhaps store multiple Pokemon. I doubt this will happen though, it will be too overpowered.
I'm thinking the Pokeballs will become more like Great balls and so forth. Thinking about how animals evolve, I wouldn't be surprised if the next games introduce pokemon that are stronger, and stats will start off higher than in previous games. We'll probably be seeing pokemon that aren't Legendaries but have similar stats as the cap.
@Charlie Henry
Rotom Pokeball is already theorized by many people to be Voltorb.
But since Pokeballs are literally meant to capture Pokemon its soul is stuck there fused with the pokeball itself.
I would say the symbol we see as the pokeball, the large ring with two smaller rings and the line across, is an ancient symbol associated with Pokémon and Sylph and Devon choose to decorate their versions with it as a nod to the symbol.
Me when I heard Toby’s intro talk: Everyone asks “What’s in the pokeball?” but never “What’s the pokeball?”
But they never ask “how’s the pokeball?”
Rhys Causon Or “When is the pokeball?”
Otakuhipster gaming why is a pokeball?
Rhys Causon Can’t forget “Who pokeball?”
Where is the Pokeball?
It becomes even more convincing when looking at the Original Colour Magearna, with it having almost the same colours as a modern day pokeball
This might have a re-look since Pokemon Legends Arceus has been announced
hearing you describe this is cool and all, but all I could think of was how absolutely BONKERS and cool it would be if we got a Pokemon Colisseum 3 kind of game, big open rpg, combining all the different regions and Pokedexs, with the premise being that Pokeballs are acting up and not working around the world, and it turns out to be a plot from a defector within Silph Co. or Devon, maybe ex-employees from both companies forming a third underground one, something like that. I didn't even know I wanted it and now it's all I want from the next Pokemon game.
Toby: Listing stuff that controlled Pokemon. Me: Waiting for him to mention Ranger Styluses.
The Pokeball-Imagery known before
the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented
is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION!
More than just Xatu and its Evolution can
see into the Future!!
Get it?
I'll give you two supporting points:
Considering Lokoko's pokeball, it might have beeon one of the handcrafted ones make by a ball-smith, while Sam's is one of the early attempts to industrialize the creation. Considering their similar looks and means of use, it's the artistic vs industrial versions.
And to the ever present imagery, it might be the concept and philosphy of the 'capture device'. The spherical shape best for containing something, with the crack being important. Spiritomb's entry says the spirits were bound to the crack in the stone. So that split and central circle might be the symbolic or functional control cap and release point for the energy.
Also with 108 in Pokemon GO, for the Halloween events you usually have to catch 108 pokemen, use 108 berries, do all sorts of 108 things. I never knew this about Spiritomb but it has been a reward catchie from the Halloween stuff so it all tracks. Interesting. Thanks for the video.
Before watching want to state what I've noticed is the classic pokeball design does appear in nature and is even used to lure or distract pokemon like on Amoongus and more recently on galarian Stunfisk as something to draw them in. Just something I've noticed that may have popularized the design.
Awesome theory Toby! You've now got me asking how Kurt and others even go about making PokéBalls? Especially when these people don't seem to be inherently magical in nature. Infinity Energy seems way more commercial than the means by which they obtain it.
New Mauville is basically “In case of Apocalypse, break glass”
Wait. New Mauville. That’s literally the backstory to The Vaults in _Fallout._
Devon Corp. is VaultTech confirmed????
EDIT:
Perhaps the iconic PokéBall shape (a circle divided horizontally into two semicircles with a smaller circle between) is an example of a type of symbol that has had universal importance in the PokéWorld. Many fictional worlds have such symbols in their respective mythologies. It may be a symbol that has always been used in a related manner to the Pokémon creatures. Maybe that specific symbol represents Infinity Energy????
2:50 and you met up with people at specific times in places, and if they were running late..you'd never know
The Pokeball-Imagery known before
the Pokeballs-Imagery was invented
is EASILY EXPLAINED BY FUTURE VISION!
More than just Xatu and its Evolution can
see into the Future!!
I was thinking about that Hot Fuzz clip milliseconds before it played. Thank you XD
haha welcome!
It’s a constant invasive thought whenever I hear the phrase “the greater good” now.
BKT: "They perfected the technology."
Voltorb: *Explodes*
How do we know that the symbol of the poke ball is actually representing a poke ball it could have represented something else but over time it was adopted to actually become the main design element of the the modern day pokeball. They could have just been the symbol of Pokémon in the Old days
Bonus points, the Premiere ball is actually just pure white. Putting on a Red/White design was what they did afterword.
I think this power aura among humans could explain how some humans can raise their pokemon so strong so quick and why there isn't many people who train up absurdly high level mons
Really fascinating video! It all makes so much sense, I want to believe its canon now. Especially with time walks (we know they exist due to Dialga) the modern image and symbol of the Pokeball could have been transferred into any time where humans existed in the Pokemon World.
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a video like this. Spectacular work, Toby!
I belive the "Lococo" throwable pokeball was the most efficient design since it allowed for the trainer to keep at a safe range while catching the pokemon. I theorize the pokeball goes back around 600 years ago and the idea spread around the world, but the technology to capture the pokemon wasnt refined so it was dropped. On and off throughout the years, scientists and alchamists kept trying to increase the capture rate for wild pokemon untill a young Samuel Oak and Kurt cracked the code and allowed for Sylf Co to use the their technology to improve on it, recreating a reliable modern day pokeball.
I made a whole story of a Pokémon region based on Mexico and South America, I also made a Dark/Poison Roach Pokemon for the region
And the Villan is a Tomb Raider with a Split Personality Disorder which makes him fail a battle always the first time
Thank you so much for all videos you made. You are one of my absolutely best youtubers ever. :)
Jsi borec. Mám moc rád tvoji tvorbu.
My house didn’t get WiFi till I was in middle school which was 2010
So I went through the whole dial up phone internet later than the rest of the world lmao
Madness Arcade same here haha
Not sure if you've already done it but I'd love to hear you expand on your theory that SwSh is set far into the future
I feel like it would make more sense that the Pokeballs manipulate Infinity Energy instead of it being used in its creation. I doubt Devon and Silph are absorbing IE en masse
This is my favorite video you've ever made and this topic would make for a great Lockstin crossover. He's all about that Mystery Science shizz.
Oak's pokeball definitely looks like it's made of metal and plastic rather than out of Apricorns, which makes me think it was an early attempt of using manmade materials to make a pokeball
I DO INDEED WONDER ABOUT THESE THINGS OFTEN. The Spiritomb point is new to me! Thinking along these lines, it seems the advent of the modern Pokéball would lead to a lot of over-catching...kinda exemplified by Gou in the most recent season (as much as I love the kid). I wonder if this has been a source of conflict between Pokémon and humans before (Great War?), or if it will be in the future. Great vid! :D
I'll ask though, considering what we see in the anime from Faba with the shrinking ray, and what we see in both the games and show with practically hammerspace bags, how do you think the pokeball connects to item storage?
Okay but how about: a circle with a smaller circle inside with a line through it being a commonly used image for controlling pokemon in general. The modern pokeball was designed to have the front of it look like this symbol.
This was a very interesting topic! I wonder if you could apply a multiverse theory to the pokeball timeline to figure out why the outliers exist...
The intros are really funny
ahaha I try :')
Bird Keeper Toby it was really good. Keep up the good work!
What if Oak's pokeball was just the first kind able to be mass produced? And the more fancy ones were all handmade?
The theory that pokemon sword and shield being far into the future makes sense since we haven't gotten any character-crossovers like in most pokemon games.
i love how your phone wallpaper is master chief. many people think hes a guy who shoots good but i know that he is a guy who shoots good because he has a tragic backstory. i love the theory as well, history is one of my stronger subjects so obviously i enjoy this sort of stuff.
I think sword and shield takes place around the same time as sm and usum
Since there is a Gmax toxtricity poster in sm
Wait where?
Where? I played those games, I don't recall anything like that... But it was a while ago so I could be wrong. But location please, I would like to pull up the game see it if it exists.
Bryan Hinze th-cam.com/video/qlLQMsLsaRw/w-d-xo.html
It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment
M Alexander th-cam.com/video/qlLQMsLsaRw/w-d-xo.html
It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment
I mean g max toxtricity existed before the timeline of swsh, it existed possibly even thousands of years ago during the darkest day
So what about the MasterBall? A ball that has a perfect catch rate. What makes it so different? And why didn't they mass produce it? :)
14:45 Some guy saw that massive stone pokeball, drew pictures of it, and someone else made gold art of it?
15:27 There's another outlier. In Ep232, Waiting on a Friend, there's a Ninetales with a Pokeball that's been waiting for its trainer for 200 years. There are several explanations for these inconsistencies:
1. They're non-canon, ignore them. This leaves me unsatisfied so I will delve into my preferred explanations.
2. The appearance of the Pokeball predates modern Pokeball designs. People misinterpret out of place artifacts all of the time in our world. Why should the world of Pokemon be any different? This ties in with some of my other explanations
3. They're apricorn balls. My interpretation of Apricorns is wildly different from Toby's. Toby seems to think they just provide the shell. I believe that capture mechanism is actually a natural defense of the plant.
4. Pokeballs are actually much older than originally thought. Don't get me wrong, they probably weren't commonplace until the aforementioned 30-40 years ago, but it's similar to Ford and cars. Before that point, they were a rich man's novelty and had rather poor accuracy and quality control.
Great video! I really like exploring how the existence of Pokemon has shaped the society and technology of the Pokemon world. It’s also scary to think the power Silph co and Devon have and what the could do with it. Thank Arceus they made the pokeball accesible to all the population.
Brilliant! That's some deep lore about such a fundamental piece of the Pokemon world - love it!
I'm pretty sure Sir Aaron didn't put Lucario in and out of the staff like a Poké Ball multiple times. He sealed Lucario in his staff so he couldn't stop him from saving the Tree of Beginning. It was just the one time.
you forgot to mention Professor Westwood he is credited in the anime as the creator of the modern pokeball
Thats the anime though, which is non-canon to the games anyways.
2 things: i like the idea that the idea /shape of a pokeball is based off a 2d drawing of binding a pokemon in energy form (small circle) and 2 parts to bind it. Top is the item based on the Smith and thats why it gains the details. Bottom is the the creature masters or aura masters. It takes both to fully seal up the pokemon in this form to be carried around.
Other thing is that this can be an explanation as to why you cannot catch a fainted pokemon and how a pokemon can break free if it really doesnt want to be captured. It be required to use the pokemon's own aura to power the pokeball. The pokemon fights to regain control of its aura and breaks the seals. This is why a pokeball has only one try. And why you can make pokeballs that are better at catching certain pokemon. The seals inside are already pre geared for that type of aura and can control and bind that pokemon more easily.
This would make masterballs really dark because if it always works then that means it already has a full battery of life energy in it that is so strong that the pokemon's energy cant break the seals. "How did they harness that much life energy to do that?" Maybe that's why there is only one masterball per game.
Plus it leans into the anime and manga a bit with the friendship thing because if a pokemon choses to not fight and lets its aura be used then it is captured regardless of pokeball used. Leaning back to the pokemon choses the trainer.
Oh and perhaps the seal in the pokeball for loyalty or whatever is linked to whoever throws the pokeball. Thats why traded pokemon require gym badges. Excpet that doesnt work with gift pokemon... You are the theorist figure it out I'm giving you gold on a player here.
Mini theory: the pokeball design is a common one, much like spirals and stars are in our world. It just made sense to apply it to the revolutionary new device known as a Pokeball
the tech could be new but the design may be so old it took a good while to fit the tech into it?
“I used the Pokémon to control the Pokémon”
Makes so much sense! I always suspected that aura is the reason for so much in the Pokémon world. It’s what protects Pokémon in battles from truly getting hurt and protects trainers from their Pokémon’s attacks. So a Pokémon can’t hop Pokémon balls because it’s life force is bound to that one? Well that explains why it’s one shot or nothing
Sooo what your saying is we should have still beat ghistus and not necessarily thrown N's free your pokemom and live with them in harmony idea out the window so fast....damn I I didn't care for black and white but I did enjoy the story and when you hear this theory it just made it so much darker lol great video.
i think it’s possible that oak’s pokeball wasn’t necessarily how all pokeballs were back then, maybe it was just the kind that were available at retail or to young trainers at the time, because the tech was either very expensive or difficult to produce commercially
I wish Toby was my history teacher!😂
The pokeball is one device that well known item but has a lot of unknown history.
Toby your phone back in the day was equal in durability to thor's hammer...😁
Thor's hammer was easily broken by hella crushing it.
Mjolnir vs Toby's Phone
Try Stormbreaker, so strong Thanos himself (even with the help of the power stone). Yes, I am a nerd
@@PansyPops not really. I know of much more than you have been graced with in that regard.
But he didn’t have Nokia 3310 he had the 3210
“Transition! Into! Intro!”
-BirdKeeperToby 2020
Something to keep in mind about the keystone, it isn't pokemon souls getting bound to the rock dude. It's actually human souls getting mashed together until the conglomeration of all those ghosts becomes a new pokemon, with each dead human just becoming a part it's body, a whisper in the back of it's mind. The pokemon itself is an entirely new entity
Small dip into the origin of how pokeballs were made into reality turns into building a utopia blindly and forcibly *love it*
Good argument
Unfortunately, *legends arceus*
Maybe the basic design is an ancient symbol that is the inspiration for the modern balls as well as Magearna. Some of the older balls could be various attempts to duplicate the ancient items
The GS ball in the manga is used to catch celebi and has the title of "the pokeball that can capture time itself"
And the capture net is made of the rainbow wing and silver wing
Regarding Opal there was recently a theory that Diantha might be her daughter/granddaughter. They look a bit similar (compared to young Opal) and maybe since Diantha moved to Kalos she did not have a person to handle the Gym to. Also Garderovoir is part Fairy and has the same type combo as Hatterene (Bede/her successor Ace). Just some food for thought:-)
The second you said 'The Greater Good' I knew where you we're going and wasn't disappointed when you did 😅
Before watching: I'd guess AZ's advanced civilization made the first ones.
1- Modern pokeballs can be a rediscovery of ancient and lost technology.
2- France
3- Pokeballs, at least in the anime, seem to be a modern and technological version of magical containment vessels. Like those shown in the Pokemopolis episode, or a genie's lamp, or Dragon Ball's thermos used to contain people with the Mafuba. They may even still be just a technological way to basically do a magic sealing spell. After all, Pokemon are basically just yokai.
I like the idea of Baltoys being ancient pokeballs used to trap “magical creatures”inside look at the back and belly
Maybe the modern pokeball design, Was inspired by ancient art however they couldn't fit the technology into the package that's why professor oak's old style pokeball looked so strange.
It also answers the question why Sliphco was so popular and became such a big company because they were the first to manufacture pokeballs that fit the ancient design cues.
imo the pokeball design was just a popular image a couple hundred years before, and was used for modern pokeballs simply because it was a familiar, iconic image in history
In alot of the older games, they say that pokeballs were made originally with acorns back in the day.
can you bring back the "mugs even" when you plug your merch 😂
I want a spin off game that’s all about the Devon and Silph companies rivalry. Like the type of pokeballs you use are branded one company or the other. The two companies start trying to compete in underhanded ways.
Celebi's time travel power can solve the mystery of modern pokeballs in the past and the rest of the theory holds
The button and twist designs couldve been 2 seperate concepts designed by 2 competing companies. The button design couldve been more appealing for simplicity or whatever. Eventually the twist design would've been scrapped due to the success of its competition.
I would love to see a follow-up to this after Pokémon Legends: Arceus comes out that takes into account information from that game and the recently translated "Lost Pokedex" or whatever people are calling it
Just a side note i have a theory that infinity energy and synergy from pokken are the same thing because both can allow pokemon to mega evolve, and both require a bond to unlock mega evolution or even synergy burst. The reason why certain pokemon mega i though was because pokemon adapted to use synergy to become stronger while others ended up just getting a power boost. Infinity energy and synergy are both the lifeforce of the pokemon world so its just something for you to consider making a theory about if you want.
I would take the pokeball design down a Lockstin path and say that the 2 main shapes of the pokeball are actually a style of rune that is known to be able to contain and bind infinity energy. That is why most anything that functions as a pokeball has that type of shape.
It would make sense that Pokeballs use Infinity Energy to bind the soul or spirit of the pokemon to it. It could explain why pokemon can break out of balls, perhaps their willpower or aura overwhelms the power in the ball. It also would make sense how pokeballs can be used to catch gods like the creation trio and arceus themselves: it isn't just technology, but magic as well that makes it possible to control the Creator.
I am curious as to what a regular pokeball is made from, seeing as it has no additional effects in terms of catching. And what properties the apricorns have that cause these effects.
For conflicting designs, you could attribute Oaks pokeball design to perhaps different manufacturers. Diff designs from different companies. Perhaps the conpany that made Oaks pokeball went out of business or got bought out by silph co
Gyms haven’t been gyms for that long, but opals mother possibly ran a Pokémon tamer fight club over seventy years ago
Never considered Spiritomb to inspire the pokeball but it makes sense! Sucks that the Pokemon canon can sometimes be a real mess though xD. Although that's why theories exist to make it make sense!
Pokemon Legends: Arceus has made this video out of date. Maybe the line on Opal's league card is an intentional retcon before Legends.
It's makes sense even with the artifacts from different points in time is they are all based on an ancient symbol based on an even older depiction of Arceus or rather, its ring. If not its ring, then when it is surrounded by all of its plates. Those would form the outer circle, while the head and feet would be the line through the middle, arceus' ring would be the smaller circle.
Who knows?
I think your theory is pretty good even with the anime not being consistent at times likely due to how old some of the examples you showed are I doubt the show writers never really thought about it, Oaks ugly grey Pokeball could have just been a prototype or an early attempt at making mass produced Pokeballs. as for Lokoko's ball it was likely a custom made one since we know Kurt did make his own so who's to say other regions like Johto didn't also make their own before big companies attempted to mass produce them more effectively instead of trainers painstakingly crafting them by scratch
In all fairness, with how much time-travel there is in Pokémon, it's probably safe to just explain everything with "wibbly wobbly timey wimey".
8:23 - "6...." *procedes to show 9*
Gotta love the little hiccups lol
I love your theories. I’m still waiting on your Todd snap Epics. I can’t wait. I hope you are taking care of yourself. Physically and emotionally❤️
Something that helps you theory is the crown tundra, calyrex puts its power inside of the horse you choose to control it
(haven't finished the vid when I wrote this)
What about the alternate universes where the weapon wasn't fired? Where mega evolution doesn't exist. How would they make pokeballs without the oh so important energy. ?
so many amazing games in the Pokemon series, games such as whack 2, alpha saruby, ultrasoon, and swield
3:40 another reason it's set in the future. Is rotom technology it's really advanced it was in it's development stages in son and moon