25 Hidden Details In Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire Real Fans Completely Missed
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Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire are loved by many, but that doesn’t mean that fans have found everything there is to find in the games.
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Time for a fact that’ll make you feel old: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released fifteen years ago now! That’s right—Torchic, Treecko, Mudkip, and friends first came into our lives all the way back in 2002. Pretty much ever since they hit the shelves, these games have been hailed as two of the best RPGs of all time. In fact, they’ve become so revered that Nintendo decided to remake them for the 3DS, in the form of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. A whole new generation of players was introduced to the Hoenn region and its wonders—and those of us who played the original games got to explore them all over again.
Since Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire have been in our lives for so long now, it’d be fair to assume that we Pokéfans have learned everything there is to know about these games. There’s not much that can slip past you when you’ve sunk hundreds of hours into numerous playthroughs! However, Nintendo and Game Freak are experts at hiding sneaky little secrets, references, and easter eggs into Pokémon games—and Ruby and Sapphire are no exceptions. The attention to detail and effort that the developers put into these games is truly impressive!
You might think you’ve spotted all of the hidden elements that make Ruby, Sapphire, and their remakes so remarkable, but we think we’ve identified some extra-special details that will blow your mind. Here are just some of the things about this game that you might have totally missed!
25 The Tom Hanks Reference
The developers of the Pokémon games love to sneak pop culture references into their work. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, one of the most obvious homages comes at the very beginning. If the player interacts with the TV in their home, some text will appear describing a movie scene that sounds very familiar!
“Two men are dancing on a piano keyboard…”
That’s almost certainly a nod to the classic Tom Hanks movie Big! Other games in the franchise reference The Wizard of Oz, Stand By Me and Singin’ In The Rain. Someone at The Pokémon Company is clearly a movie buff!
24 The Developer’s Daughter
Throughout the Hoenn region, there are plenty of helpful NPCs dotted around the place who’ll share items, give out information, and even trade their Pokémon with you. One of these is Kiri, a girl living in Sootopolis City who hands out two berries to the player each and every day. While Kiri might just seem like another kindly, generous character, she’s actually pretty special. She’s named after Game Freak director Junichi Masuda’s daughter, who was born just before Ruby and Sapphire were completed!
23 The Legendary Beasts?
Unless datamining old video games is your thing, you’ve probably missed the fact that references to the Legendary Beasts of the Johto region exist in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. The specific music that played when the main character battled Suicune, Entei, or Raikou in Gold, Silver, and Crystal is hidden within Ruby and Sapphire’s data! Some fans have speculated that these three legendaries were initially slated to appear in the Generation Three games, but were cut for unknown reasons. Can you imagine how cool that would have been?!
22 Foreshadowing The Dream World
One of the many sights to see in Hoenn’s Rustboro City is the Devon Corporation Headquarters. The player can take a wander around the building and see the company’s scientists at work. One of these NPCs mentions that he’s working on a machine that will “visualize the dreams of Pokémon.” What seemed like an off-hand comment at the time was actually foreshadowing! This function would appear in Pokémon Black and White, in the form of the Dream World! Looks like this scientist’s dream came true.
21 The Higher Frame Rate
Ruby and Sapphire are pretty unique games in the Pokémon franchise due to their higher-than-usual frame rate. Up until now, the majority of Pokémon titles have run at 30 frames per second. However, the Generation Three games all ran at the quicker rate of 60 frames per second!
Sadly, this shift in performance didn’t last.
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the FPS dropped to 30 again and has remained at this level ever since. Will this change when Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee and Let’s Go, Pikachu are released? We’ll have to wait and see!
20 Altering Cave
In 2004, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire got the “trio treatment” when their follow-up game, Emerald, hit the shelves in Japan. Emerald featured a few subtle changes to the Hoenn region, including the addition of the mysterious Altering Cave. The Cave was originally going to function as a place to find rare Pokémon from the Kanto and Johto regions, which would be added to a player’s game through the Mystery Gift system. However, this feature was eventually scrapped. Altering Cave was just left there, though! It can be found on Route 103 after the player defeats the Elite Four.
19 Gotta Catch ‘Em All?
Anyone who’s been a fan of the Pokémon franchise since the very beginning will know that its original tagline was “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” However, this catchphrase mysteriously disappeared from all Pokémon merchandise and promotional materials after the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire!
The Pokémon Company realized that this tagline was no longer true.
Until the release of FireRed and LeafGreen, it wasn’t possible to capture all 386 Pokémon that were then available in Ruby and Sapphire—only 202 could be found in Hoenn.
18 The Ghost Girl Returns
In Pokémon X and Y, a pretty creepy NPC showed up in a building in Lumiose City. If interacted with, this spectral girl would simply tell the player “you’re not the one”, then mysteriously disappear. Freaky, right? Well, Game Freak clearly enjoyed creeping out Pokémon players that they brought this ghostly girl back for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire! She shows up on Mt. Pyre and says the exact same phrase again. On top of that, another spectral girl appears in Phoebe’s Elite Four room! So many hauntings!
17 The Unloseable Battle
In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the player fights their very first battle against a wild Zigzagoon. This errant raccoon has corned poor Professor Birch, who’s got no Pokémon on his person and thus can’t fight back. It’s down to the player to defeat the Zigzagoon and rescue the Professor.
But what if you lose the battle?
Are both you and Birch doomed? Well, as it happens, it’s impossible to lose this first fight! Even if the player’s Pokémon faints, the Zigzagoon runs away and the player wins by default. Nice!
16 MissingNo’s Distant Cousin
Anyone who’s played Pokémon Red and Blue will be aware of MissingNo, the legendary glitch Pokémon. This creature can’t be caught through normal means and is the remnant of game data relating to an axed actual Pokémon. As it happens, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire have their own MissingNo equivalent! It’s a Pokémon called ??????????—that’s ten question marks specifically—and it’s only available through some glitchy goodness. Its sprite is, to the surprise of no-one, a giant question mark. Who’d have guessed it?!
15 Hoenn Rangers
You know how we mentioned that Pokémon’s developers love to slip pop culture references into their games? Well, Big isn’t the only real-world cultural phenomenon that appears in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire! Throughout Hoenn, references can be found to the Hoenn Rangers—a group of superheroes based on the real-life Power Rangers! Each hero has their own distinct color… Sound familiar? You can even buy Hoenn Rangers action figures from certain vendors when you’re on your journey. That’s real fandom right there.
14 A Rumor Became Reality
When Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were first released, a rumor started to do the rounds regarding the Legendary Pokémon Deoxys. Some players claimed that you could use the rocket in Mossdeep City to travel into space and catch Deoxys.
Of course, this was totally false!
Deoxys was only available as part of a special event. However, in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a storyline was added—the Delta Episode—that was a direct homage to this rumor! Players now could fly to space and catch Deoxys for real.
13 Getting Your Diploma
Alongside getting all of your Gym Badges, defeating Team Aqua or Magma, and beating the Elite Four, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire had one other major goal: completing the Pokédex! This feat required a lot of patience and a small amount of trading, but it could be done. If you did manage to catch ’em all, your reward was a special diploma handed to you by a member of the in-game Game Freak team. If you were especially proud of your achievement, you could display this certificate in your Secret Base!
12 Pokémon Cloning
Cloning Pokémon is a pretty controversial practice, to say the least. It’s achievable in a lot of games through the use of PC Boxes, cheats, and other methods.
However, it can wipe your entire save in the process.
Still, a few bold Pokémon Emerald players decided to give cloning a try anyway. Using the Battle Tower, some PC box magic, and the classic trick of turning your system off at a very precise moment, you could clone your favorite beast—and whatever item they were holding. Did somebody say “Master Balls”?
11 The Float Stone Mystery
One of the more amusing hidden details in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire involves a generous man in Rustboro City. The rather slim man kindly passes a Float Stone onto you the first time he speaks to you. This item reduces the weight of a Pokémon when held, which can reduce the damage of weight-based moves. When you go back to see the man who gave it to you again, he’s suddenly got the physique of a slightly chunky hiker and tells you he’s mysteriously gained weight lately. Was it the Float Stone keeping him slim?
10 The Secret World Map
Over the years, numerous Pokémon fans have sketched their own interpretations of a Pokémon world map. People like to speculate about where each region lies in relation to other areas—how close is Hoenn to Johto and Kanto, for example? Where does Sinnoh come into all of this? No “official” Pokémon world map has ever been produced, but Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire gave us the next best thing! One fan-made map seemingly made an appearance on the wall in a home in Dewford Town. Does that make it confirmed canon? Quite possibly!
9 The Mordor Meme
Apparently, tributes to TV shows and movies aren’t the only pop culture references that can make it into Pokémon games. Memes have a place in them too! In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a man in Pacifidlog Town slips a very familiar phrase into a conversation about Mirage Spots. Apparently, one does not simply walk into a Spot! Calm down, Boromir… Clearly, this man has been watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy recently! Oh, Nintendo—which memes will you decide to incorporate into future games? We can only wait and see.
8 The Time Travel Award
Have you ever wondered whether it’s possible to transfer a Pokémon from the original Ruby and Sapphire to the 3DS remakes? Well, wonder no longer—it’s possible! It’s complicated, yes, but it’s still possible! All you have to do is transfer the Pokémon from Ruby or Sapphire to a Generation Four game, and then on to a Generation Five game. Finally, you can send the Pokémon to Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire using Pokémon Bank! If you manage to make this cross-generational trade, you’ll get a special certificate marking the occasion.
7 Malcolm In The Middle Of Pokémon
Over the course of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the player character encounters dozens of fellow Pokémon Trainers who are itching for a battle. All of these trainers have names—and some of these names are pretty obvious pop culture references! For example, in the Sea Mauville area, you can have a double battle against a couple named Lois and Hal. Any Malcolm In The Middle fans out there will know that this is a reference to the parents in the show!
6 Hello Skitty
Sea Mauville seems to be a bit of a haven for pop culture references in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire! One of the major quests in this area revolves around a doll that’s a precious memento for an estranged father—a doll that just happens to be called “Hi Skitty”. Of course, that’s a fairly obvious reference to another popular feline character: Hello Kitty! To be fair, we can see why Skitty would become something of an icon in Hoenn… It’s freaking adorable!
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