Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon has always had a close relationship with lore communities because of the nature of the Pokemon world being just that, a world. A fictional world, with its own quirks and stories and legends different than but somewhat inspired by real-world folklore.

Mythology within the world of Pokemon serves not only as a main pathway for lore to be shared with fans. It also allows for the world to be explored within the views of the inhabitants. Mythology gives the characterization of the world. That said, mythology within Pokemon has always been contentious with regard to the subject matters addressed and the consequences of said stories.

While many don't have much to say about the myriad stories of the legendary Pokemon, that is the Pokemon that are deemed more powerful and rarer than most, other stories such as the Sinnoh myth of how people used to marry Pokemon were seen and received much more hostility and revulsion

With that in mind, however, in 2024 there was a leak of unprecedented scale of unreleased files about the creation of various Pokemon, their regions, and the lore surrounding both. Because of the leak, the function of mythology within the Pokemon world has come into question again because of the especially controversial nature of some of the stories.

With some clear parallels to Greek and old Japanese folklore of gods and spirits seducing mortals, there was a severe backlash and revulsion.

The general reception to the myths about certain Pokémon raises the question of what is the function of mythology in the games. And even if a myth isn't "canon" for a universe what role does it play in shaping its world and what does it say about the world that was being created?