Is The Pokemon Porygon An Invasive Species? | Pokemon Investigation

Porygon is easily one of my favorite Pokemon and obviously one of the best. But are the Porygon roaming the games a danger to the environment? Let's take an inside look.
First seen in Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue, and Pokemon Yellow, the artificial Pokemon Porygon has always been super interesting to me from a biological perspective. Sure it's fun and cute, but how would something like this interact with the environment and Pokemon around it?
Porygon has a super interesting and subtle role in storytelling in Pokemon games, from being sold by team rocket at the game corner to getting multiple updated forms later in Porygon2 and Porygon-Z.
I've had this one in my system for a while and had to get the thoughts out. If you enjoyed this video or me- give it a like, let me know down below, and watch another one! As always, Gen 3 Pokemon reigns supreme.
Gameplay comes from my Pokemon Fire Red, Pokemon Emerald, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon White, Pokemon Omega Ruby, Pokemon HeartGold, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Sword, and Pokemon Let's Go Eevee.
My twitch: / droomish_
My twitter: / droomishw
#pokemon #pokemonscarletandviolet #pokemonemerald

[@droomish1]

anyone else surrounded by beauty?

[@grlluigi]

[@marilynlucero9363]

Do optimisitc friends count who upkeep your spirits?

[@elio7610]

Huh?

[@moodimoss406]

I have my mr meta knight plushie with me and he is a very beautiyful man so yes :)))

[@rebeccasutton2401]

YES

[@Super_Top_Secret_Area]

Releasing Porygon into the wild would be the Pokémon equivalent of having bird shaped drones just walking and flying around aimlessly, as they try to fit in with the rest of the environment in a very awkward manner.

[@joncook7510]

They're doing their best!!!

[@The-New-Age]

Birds aren’t real they are govt surveillance devices

[@RyanNerdyGamer]

@@joncook7510Porygon is good birb 😙

[@brunokreutz6710]

isn't this a plot in the Hunger Games?

[@melvint-p9500]

If you released Porygon into the wild, Snorlax would become an endangered species.

[@kjdubs5877]

I love the Porygon line. Such a goofy polygonal duck

[@droomish1]

they have created the perfect pokemon

[@THGMR-ox7sd]

Goated line! I love porygon

[@fearsearcher7303]

@@droomish1yeah I don’t understand why Team Rocket created Mewtwo when the objectively better Porygon was right there, They could have just bought one!

[@spatial_rind]

Porygon2 is my favorite Pokémon I just love how beautifully simple they are and how cute and innocent they look. They could literally become a terrorist and I'd forgive them. The entire line could do that and commit countless brutal war crimes and I would love them just the same.

[@FrenzyCh4n]

@@spatial_rindaye and it's viable, COMPETITIVE VIABLE AT THAT!

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

The old 1996 guidebook says it was invented by Silph Company in 1996(meaning it's only been around a few months during the events of RBY) and it's appearence in the Rocket Game Corner was dubiously legit, probably due to Rocket Insiders smuggling them out

[@droomish1]

this makes total sense! it's weird though that the game corner in Gen 2 still has them, something seems sus about that 🥸

[@kalkuttadrop6371]

@@droomish1 Yeah the OG guidebook mentions how Porygon is a brand new invention and rumors of it being sold in the game corner are being investigated. This implies Team Rocket somehow got a hold of them under the tablr(probably from the Silph Insiders working for them). GSC is 3 years later and by that point a new model is out with a commercially available upgrade, so seemingly at that point it’s release was sanctioned officially

[@BluePhoenix_]

​@@kalkuttadrop6371so one of the scientists we have to fight during the Silph Co. raid had to smuggle them out. That actually makes a lot of sense.

[@trevorswims5754]

What I love about porygon is that it's not just a 3D model, but it's LITERALLY a 3D computer model that's somehow alive and living like a normal pokemon. That's like 3D printing a model of a duck and then calling it a normal animal and I love it.

[@nullpoint3346]

Except the 3D printed duck is alive.

[@didack1419]

It's a digital pocket monster, a digipokemon owo.

[@CLOYO]

@@nullpoint3346 Is your computer alive? Is AI alive? So many questions

[@JadeMythriil]

How I assume they materialized Porygon is that they tried uploading the Porygon onto an empty PokeBall and somehow it worked it became a real pokemon.

[@GamersXnostalgia]

​@@didack1419 Digimon!

[@jeremyabbott4537]

I think Porygon and Porygon 2 would be safe to have in the wild, but I am concerned about Porygon Z, as it is an unofficial upgrade that seems to be corrupted. Who knows what could happen if it is not monitored

[@brunoreis4455]

It feels like you install a virus on the poor guy when you evolve it to z, so yeaaa no way I'm evolving my porygon 2, it's perfect as is already :^

[@lillie_trash]

porygon z arent corrupted! theyre just made poorly

[@Starvino]

@@brunoreis4455I loved my Z, dude was a nice glass cannon in gen 4 and his quirks gave him character

[@canaldecasta]

Z was in Nam.

[@clintonbehrends4659]

@@Starvino I know it's un-intentional but that reminds me of arguments people make for certain breeds of dogs and snakes that have deformations that affect certain aspects of their lives

[@lollertoaster]

You are not thinking "Pokemon logic" enough. If porygon leaves behind heavy metals and other harmful debris, they are definitely consumed by Poison pokemon.

[@Stathio]

I love this- excellent point! Poison types are probably really good for the environment!

[@Bladius_]

@Stathio Yeah, alolan grimer is directly stated to have been imported from Kanto to deal with waste and help keep the trubbish population in check. Apparently the alolan ones don't even smell bad, since they store the toxins inside themselves. Pretty cool.

[@shinysamurott613]

Honestly Porygon is a really underrated pokemon. It's a really cool concept as an artificial pokemon that doubles as a computer program. This even bleeds into its evolution method. It implies that when it and the respective item are turned into data during a trade, it's able to access the data in the Upgrade and Dubious Disk to update itself and I think that's a really cool way to justify the trade evo.

[@theschnozzler]

Or electricity makes it read the data on the discs (like with accelgor and excavalier specifically needing electricity to evolve as stated in the dex)

[@jaredjones6570]

Right. They should have put this much effort into justifying the other trade evolutions. :/

[@bewearstar9462]

Porygon was ment to be ironic because it was a sprite that looked like a model and was made because people kept tell satoshi tajiri to make a game with 3d models

[@duck_man1048]

They were telling him that all the way back in 1996?

[@bewearstar9462]

@Duck_Man104 the Playstation and sega saturn came out in 1994 and were 3d modeled so it would make sense

[@rex_melynas]

yeah also games like donkey kong country and such were pushing that too

[@thekoifishcoyote8762]

@@rex_melynas DKC was more similar, as it turned 3D models into sprites

[@ecuadorian_gamer]

As a biology major, I really like this video concept, and I think you should do more. I think Grimer and Muk would be other possible invasive species

[@SockieTheSockPuppet]

And the FossilMons are canonically invasive species now, due to all the "duds" getting released into the wild after being restored.

[@plebulus]

I wouldn't think so, they clearly have a place in any environment, as they consume waste of all forms, and are probably consumed by other poison types

[@alwayshere6956]

Its important to consider, if pokemon lile Hoopa and their natural power over the world, we to a degree have to reconsider what we deem unnatural

[@psuedonym9999]

But it's a mythical Pokemon.

[@Churdizard]

What isn't clear about Porygon is if they are mechanical like robots or are some sort of strange physical code.

[@valemontgomery9401]

I always imagined they were sort of solid hunks of a plastic-like substance inside

[@Stathio]

I always thought they were pure code somehow- like hard-light holograms.

[@ashton9699]

I had always just thought they were robots, being that they're purchasable

[@Nameless_mixes]

Not once in 15+ years did I put two and two together and realize that the butler’s importing Pokemon into the garden lol I hope that’s actually canon because that’d be hilarious!

[@CakeofRage]

it actually is canon!

[@nooternootey9666]

Mr. Backlot: "I noticed a cute-eyed Mewtwo, which joyously ran over to me". Butler: well shi..

[@a-s-greig]

Here's another question: does Mew contain Porygon DNA?

[@a-s-greig]

This question actually bothers me, especially since they debuted in the same generation.

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

That raises an even more basic question: does Porygon contain DNA at all?

[@David-ud9ju]

Porygon isn't a real pokemon, so I'm going with no? Porygon doesn't have DNA at all. It's essentially a Roomba that's been let go into the wild.

[@jenssuperkalifragelistisch4488]

But it CAN produce offspring with a Ditto, which is by all means a biological life form.

[@tezcanaslan2877]

@@jenssuperkalifragelistisch4488anything can reproduce with ditto

[@DraptorRonin]

Tech waste might not be an issue with Porygon. They don’t really require sustenance, so expelling waste wouldn’t really be all that important for them. That said, predation may cause tech waste. For example, an Arbok manages to catch a Porygon in its jaws. Porygon fights back, but is unable to overcome its attacker, and perishes. Arbok goes to eat the dead Porygon, only to find that it tastes like… not meat, probably like a Voltorb or some other artificial byproduct Pokemon. Arbok decides to go eat that Ratatta over there, leaving the dead-Porygon to break down very, very slowly.

[@Visceral2096]

Arbok is a god, so it would send the porygon to the distortion world once it couldn’t est it

[@roscoedash6673]

Porygon knows psybeam so it’s more of a threat to Arbok than the other way around. Plus Porygon can fly/levitate so good luck to any Arbok foolish enough to pick on the electric solider!

[@fishbot9902]

The only thing I could see being a issue is other pokemon attempting to eat porygon

[@AcidRavelEffect]

‘9,999 coins, yet 2 perfect iv short of not being arceus grit dust.’ ~ hope it’s not that but going after the 9,999 heart gold prize. for many years. @5996 coins; was at 300 for many years. got to level 5 payout in voltorb flip game once.

[@psuedonym9999]

@AcidRavelEffect Huh???

[@Attmoz-Phere]

@@AcidRavelEffectHuuh?????

[@Starpotion]

​@@AcidRavelEffect He ate Porygon 😩

[@Cr3zant]

Porygon should've been used the way Rotom's been used in modern games, wild how gamefreak's neglected my stupid blocky duck.

[@Super_Top_Secret_Area]

It actually was at one point, Pokémon Masters introduced the Poryphone.

[@christiancinnabars1402]

The Porygon line and the implications behind their existance makes me wish we got more digitally made mons. There are Porygon, and Castform is heavily implied to be completely man-made, but apart from those, no luck. The next closest are Pokemon made from altering existing lifeforms (Mewtwo, Genesect, Silvally, etc) and Paradox mons, which technically do not exist in our timeline (and may or may not also be cyborgs - as in, based off of existing lifeforms). It's weird, because Porygon wasn't just development into or a failed attempt at creating an artificial Pokemon. It _is_ an artificial Pokemon, capable of eating and laying eggs despite its origins. You would think more companies in the Pokemon world would take advantage of that in the 20+ years of the tech being around. It's like if a group of scientists in the real world constructed a functioning animal purely from stem cells that did not need to use any conventional resources (air, food, etc), and then everyone else goes "meh."

[@christiancinnabars1402]

And I guess mechanical Pokemon should also be mentioned as a close second, more so than bioengineered mons. Especially Magearna, specifically stated to be purely man-made. But it still stands that Porygon and Castform are the only digitally made mons, basically 3D printed into existance with a consciousness and the ability to produce offspring.

[@yurei4414]

Here's my take: Canonize Missingno as a living malware and the predator of Porygon.

[@ShratTheMighty]

I love the niche you've carved out of delving into trivia and hypotheticals across pkmn!! Excited for more :)

[@Alizudo]

This is my favourite of the videos you've done, and I'd love more like this. 10/10. The best way to analyze fantasy games, is to take them at face-value and try to determine the "how", rather than explaining why it can't be real. A good example is Ditto; which is able to breed with Magnemite, despite Magnemite being inorganic and sexless, incapable of reproducing. *_Only_* Ditto can create Magnemite eggs. If we're in-universe, how is this mechanism working? I would guess it's because Ditto is still an organic creature who can mimic the physical properties of anything, without literally turning into it. When Ditto sleeps, it turns into something like a rock; it's not *_literally_* a rock, as it's still alive while in this form, it just has the material properties of something very rock-like. This is also related when Ditto breeds-say, with a Zigzagoon. The offspring they produce will inherit some properties from the Ditto parent, including IVs and Nature, so it's actually passing on its DNA. If it completely turned into an exact copy of the other parent, the offspring would just be a clone. Back to Magnemite: I think Ditto's ability as an organic creature that can adopt the properties of artificial material enables it to lay organic eggs composed of artifical matter, given life by the cooperative effort from Magnemite (sharing its energy, perhaps?) Trying to think of explanations for stuff like this is way more fun than just going _"it's fantasy, it doesn't matter"._

[@Amalunatic]

Glad you're asking the questions nobody thought of. You're lonely at the top of creative Pokemon content. Keep it up! Stop dissing my phone tho!

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

New theory: Backpacker Herman cracked Porygon's code and started creating copies, piracy-style

[@TheRomagia]

10/10 video, i also pondered upon the existence of wild Porygon

[@lilybear_grrrr]

great video droomish! i loved the part where you went over each of porygons appearances in the mainline pokemon games and decided whether or not it was an invasive species using context clues within said games!! very cool!!!

[@komarunaegi7460]

Great video! Though I don’t think 5:08 is a religious symbol? Iirc that’s just how the Game Corner looks in the Let’s Go games, and Porygon is on the logo as a nod to how the original Kanto games sold Porygon as the top prize for the most coins, like you mentioned earlier. The reason Porygon live next to Celadon is likely because they were secretly discarded by Team Rocket after they had to stop using Pokémon as prizes after it was deemed unethical. I think a few NPCs vaguely imply this, but my memory is foggy. It would also explain why they’re so rare, since they probably only had a few in hand since it was the top prize in the other Kanto games. Can’t wait for the Gen 3 video!

[@shanerulez79]

I always figured he was more of a digital program hard light energy or something similar. Maybe a chip somewhere but not a whole robot with internal hardware. But hey who knows. The technology in pokemon is incredibly inconsistent with 90s era PCs, teleportation pads, body swap machines and fossil regeneration. (Maybe fossil pokemon would be an invasive species like in Jurassic Park) Another thing i wonder about is it Porygon would attack other Pokémon even without needing to eat. Maybe they'll be like house cats and hunt for fun and sport. Definitely a great video :)

[@SockieTheSockPuppet]

I'm pretty sure that the FossilMons _are_ classified as invasive species in the PokéDex now, and it's because trainers kept releasing the "duds" that they didn't want into the wild, and now they're just about everywhere. From extinct, to endangered, all the way to pest.

[@EpicShaymin]

(marine) biology student here, great video! Porygon would probably be considered a naturalized species Never thought much about whether Pokemon are native to their region, makes me question the safari zone pokémon and whether they're native to the region, such as kangaskhan

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

This is precisely the esoteric, purely fan-conceived conundrum that makes for the perfect longer-form KZbin videos that I watch the most often and with the most gusto.

[@KingRui_yo]

Do porygon provide any actual caloric content when eaten? Could native pokemon predators potentially hunt and prey upon discarded porygon, consuming something that does not provide them energy which could lead to an issue of predators lowering in numbers because they are using energy to hunt for food that can't actually sustain them?????????? also leading to higher numbers of prey pokemon throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack??????

[@GentlemanJaggi]

Porygon are mostly likely unable to reproduce in the wild so any potential issues of predators preying on them would be resolved once their limited population is depleted.

[@kingofallfoods6061]

This is such an awesome idea! I'd love to see more videos like this. Invasive species are so neat, and it makes me wonder what sort of other Pokemon might pose their own threats to new environments... One of the first that comes to mind for me is Eelektross. While lampreys aren't all invasive, the sea lampreys in the Great Lakes are, and they're pretty nasty. Eelektross's dex entries say that it can pull itself onto land and grab prey, dragging it into the water. It could overpower and deplete both aquatic and nearby terrestrial populations. Entries also state that they're ocean-dwelling. Like sea lampreys, if they're introduced to a smaller lake environment, they could take over super easily, preying on native species. Eelektrik may attach themselves to fish and live off of them until they're mature enough. Being that they're Electric type, human settlements nearby could allow them to evolve earlier and become even more of a problem. The line also gets Levitate, so they don't have any weaknesses! If they were introduced to the Lake of Rage, for example, Eelektross would be really hard to deal with. How they would get there, I'm unsure-- maybe they hitched a ride on a Magikarp with some impressive jumps or brought by a Flying type like Noctowl. The only Pokemon native to the lake are Magikarp and Gyarados, the latter of which possessing a quad-weakness to Electric types and a large body that would be perfect for a bunch of little Eelektriks to stick to. Magikarp is called pathetically weak in multiple dex entries (heartbreaking), so I worry for their ability to fend against the lampreys. I wonder if the fish populations would eventually disappear completely-- what would become of the Eelektrosses? Would they simply die without a food source, or end up hitching a ride on a leaping Magikarp to some other body of water? Lampricides are used to treat sea lamprey-infested waters, so something similar may be used on invasive Eelektross. Poison types with Gastro Acid, such as Victreebel or Swalot, would be useful, as well as Seismitoad, who is Water/Ground, meaning it's immune to Electric and can take advantage of the new Ground weakness. If anyone has other ideas, I'd love to read them! This might not be the place to write an invasive species speculation, but this video was very inspiring. Thanks for making it. :)

[@Showsni]

One interesting place you can find wild Pokémon is on Pokémon Island, the setting for Pokémon Snap. This is an island abandoned by humans, where only Pokémon live - and it is strictly prohibited to catch any Pokémon on the island. And yet you can find multiple wild Porygon here, showing off their signature Conversion move (Texture in Japanese - it gives the polygons Porygon is made of a texture). Perhaps they were left behind here by the humans that used to work the abandoned power plant in the Tunnel stage? Yet they have moved away from that area, and make their home in the more natural setting of the River stage.

[@BlackRaven6695]

As a sports fan, I greatly enjoyed this

[@taylorhillard4868]

Honeslty what i really want to know is where Corphish are native to. Even in their introduction generation they were described as an invasive species but they have noot been native to any subsequent generation either

[@AAX11111]

As a guy that had an S7 for over a decade, i appreciate the fact that SOMEONE else out there agrees with me.

[@CheatsythePimp2]

Really enjoyed this video. Funny thing is I actually had a fan evolution of Porygon2 called Porygon Ultra. The "Non-Fungible" Pokemon, and that is definitely bad for the environment with its toxic gas.

[@LoudWaffle]

I like Porygon for proving that not ALL pokemon are genetically related to Mew; it’s entirely synthetic. It’s the key to solving the “which came first, Mew or Arceus?” line of questions.

[@VestedUTuber]

The thing is, lore-wise Porygon can't reproduce on its own. Porygon is basically physically manifested software and furthermore is copy-protected. As a result, not only do Porygon have to be made using a computer, they also have to be compiled from source code by an authorized user, you can't just copy the data of another Porygon... well, not through normal methods, anyway. The one way you _could_ make an unauthorized copy of a Porygon is by having it enter an internal storage device, preferably a SATA compatible HDD or SSD, and then using a drive cloner to copy the raw data of the entire drive to another drive. As a result, I wouldn't even consider Porygon to be a life form, let alone an invasive species, because they technically don't fit the definition of life. In detail: Homeostasis: Maybe? Depends on if a Porygon even has inside conditions to maintain. Organization: I don't like this criteria as it requires all life be cellular in nature, negating the possibility of other structures even if they're still sufficiently organized. But, well... this is another "maybe", because we don't know _what_ a Porygon is actually made of. Metabolism: No. While Porygon uses energy (it has to), it doesn't do so via any molecular process. Growth: Another one I take issue with, mainly because the current definition requires a metabolism as well. Anyway, Porygon is definitely able to grow through its "natural" processes, but this seems to be limited to its evolved forms. Adaptation: Porygon ACES this criteria. There is literally no Pokemon that is more capable of adapting to its environment. Ditto, Eevee, Arceus and Silvaly pale in comparison. Response to stimuli: no issues here. Reproduction: As stated above, Porygon can't reproduce without involving technology. This disqualifies it from both species and life form status, scientifically speaking. Now, keep in mind that this doesn't mean Porygon isn't a Pokemon or an intelligent being, just that it's not a _living_ being. It's kinda like how Data from Star Trek was defined at the end of "Measure of a Man" - Data was ruled as not being a living being, but was still granted personhood as the criteria for living and the criteria for sapience are independent. Of course, as it cannot reproduce on its own and cannot be a species, it can't establish itself as an invasive _species._ At most, it's an invasive sapient technology. Every wild Porygon once belonged to someone else.

[@Gay_Priest]

I'll also say that porygon wasn't approved for public use, it was stolen by team rocket when they took over silph Co, and the game corner, which is run by team rocket is a pokemon black market

[@TEERACK]

The banned anime episode if you ever watch it makes it seem like polygon is common practice in the pokemon world(and probably would have been if not for all the drama around their episode) i feel like roton's use is just them doing what they were going to do what they wanted to do with porygon since in the anime porygon turns itself into different things. They did even have a poryphone in one of their mobile games.

[@Liriand]

Seriously love these types of videos! Hope you make more!

[@elfyar5786]

i clicked cause i was interested in porygon but it was heartwarming to see white forest fully populated for the first time in 10 years

[@benjaminsnellsson2395]

this is such a great channel

[@wanderlustwarrior]

No idea about the S7, but the S8+ was good for a long time.

[@jtalkalot19]

I'm surprised you didn't mention pokemon snap where they Porygon are camouflaged.

[@2mccue4u27]

This has nothing to do with almost anything, but I played through Legends Arceus with a Porygon as soon as I learned you could find them in time distortions. The concept of having an equally time-traveled companion joining me in Hisui was too good to pass up. Laventon's notes in the Pokedex were the icing on the cake.

[@holyelephantmg8838]

Porygon going into the grass: *How do you do, fellow Pokemon?*

[@tictacctical3030]

Great video, would love to see more unanswered poke-questions

[@thekoifishcoyote8762]

1:24 That's my phone and it survived a screen-first drop onto tile without even cracking.

[@yaawnzzz]

Really enjoying your videos!! They’re really fun. Also I dig the shirt and sleepmask 💤

[@Savroge]

I just left a similar comment on a different video of yours but I’m OBSESSED with questions about ecology in Pokémon. I studied Environmental Communication in grad school, so these questions don’t seem silly to me! The fact that Pokémon included so many details about it being non-replicating is just one example of how they have been thinking about ecological implications from the beginning. And THAT is important because SO MANY people touch this franchise (including kids!) so it encourages people to ask the kind of questions you’re asking not only in regard to the series, but in the real world. Anyway, loved this video. KZbin plopped you into into my recommendations this morning and I’m very happy they did.

[@Monsuco]

In the original Pokemon Snap we see wild Porygon on that live in the River level. They appear to be able to camouflage themselves so that they blend in with the environment and they also appear to phase into the wall. They seem to get along fine and don't seem to be hurting too much.

[@blodstainer]

Correction: Pokemon breed in egg groups, which makes their ecological situation quite frail. So even if Porygon doesn't have any natural prey pokemon to affect, it's affect upon entering a ecosystem can still be attributed to the fact that pokemon that might breed naturally with ditto in the wild, would be affected by Porygon introduction

[@boltskyline2957]

ufff you lost Me at the Samsung line lmao. hey its more innovative than just a simple minor camera upgrade and slapping the next two digit number on the phone with an apple on the back to then charge 500 more than the previous version a month prior

[@HandsomeLongshanks]

I truly wish releasing pokemone back into the wild was a way to add that pokemon to the random encounter chance for some route nearby. That would have been neat.

[@devincowan892]

As a Gen 3 lover, your channel gives me life

[@TinCanJohnson]

This channel is so fire. So glad I stumbled upon these videos!

[@sagemode6]

great video porygon is my fav pokemon

[@kieran7675]

This channel is so brilliant, I'm glad I found it

[@tonybrewer7536]

1. Porygon is my absolute favorite, so thank you for this video. 2. Though a side game, Porygon can seemingly be found in the wild in Pokemon Snap, and its interesting that they hide themselves. Why? What predators could it have?

[@peshomighty5051]

Pokemon that eat rocks. Like sableye. And fighting types

[@IoannesPetrvs]

Me using Porygon Z on my team in my first Platinum Hardcore Nuzlocke: TRI ATTACK BRRRRRR

[@sebastianmoua2526]

I dont think porygon is bad as a pokedex entry have stated that it has been helping with tightening cyber security. It is also a pokemon that can adapt to the situation, being able to trace or download. It also learns recycle so porygon is good for nature in some ways. After pikachu shot the missle in a certain episode... nearly wiped out all of the porygons, justice for porygon.

[@Stathio]

Let's think about this even broader for a moment- a lifeform made of data? A digital monster? You bet Porygon is an invasive species- to Pokemon itself! What if Porygon is actually a DIGIMON? Maybe everyone's been getting the name wrong from the start! Porygon? More like Porymon!

[@RCJones560]

I can’t believe you actually got me with that burn. I still use my 7s edge that I got in college

[@iluvyurbles]

Porygon Z being a literal computer virus however would be an intresting version to talk about

[@ashton9699]

Only important part is if Porygon complies with part 15 of the FCC rules, which would then mean that a) this Pokemon must not cause harmful interference, and b) this Pokemon must accept any harmful interference received, including interference which may cause undesired operation.

[@aneitalt]

This is a fun video. Porygon is like a digimon trying its best to live with Pokémon.

[@Morgil27]

Currently watching this on my Samsung Galaxy S series phone.

[@MrLeaff]

Same

[@nunyabiznes33]

What people should be worried is they manage to find a way to upgrade themselves on their own without trading. Then all it takes is for some asshole to burn a bunch of Dubious Discs and scatter it around.

[@WhoElseButZane]

What is porygon made of? Metal, plastic? Maybe its just data floating around and it just appears to be solid

[@entothechesnautknight1762]

If i had to guess on how they propagate, they might be using discarded technology, like broken Pokeballs or lost phones, to copy themselves. The Anti-Dup technology is likely only there to prevent external duplication, and also the basic Porygon model was released in the 90s and has remained static ever since, only receiving one offical major update (Porygon2) before being discontinued as a product line. So the Anti-Dupe tech the Porygons were made with probably don't even work anymore, especially with modern hardware, even in firmware as simple as a pokeball. (As a side note, Porygon Z might not have Any Anti-dupe tech in it at all, as it is evolved via a popular Homebrew update, and Anti-dupe only exists for commercial products to make more money. As an unofficial upgrade, its unlikely that the dubious disc, and thus porygon Z, have any Copyprotection anymore at all!) This brings up the interesting idea that Porygons only show up in areas of high technology dumping, which... Oh boy, that does *not* look good on Backer Herman. (Unless he collects the litter instead, which is also possible, but less funny then him being followed by a herd Porygon abd not knowing why) But this also tracks with Kanto, as its well known the region is a tad bit on the dirty side. Being immediately outside a city, the *largest producers* of tech waste, its literally perfect for porygon to thrive. Honestly, it might be the opposite of what you describe if this is the case (since Porygon 100% can reproduce on their own, ala the Ditto example), and Porygons are instead leeching heavy metals and techno waste from the environment. And since the pokemon world is *far* more ecologically conscious then our own, it might be a good sign that Porygon are so rare to find out there. They're a craydilly in a coalmine, so to speak, not a problem in and of themselves, but a sign of greater ecological danger if they become a common sight.

[@Mis_May493]

Very interesting video! Definitely make more of these maybe delving into the lore of porygon 2 and maybe z?

[@barrybend7189]

Would be hilarious if when fishing you randomly just pull up a Porygon.

[@weenierotini]

i enjoyed watching this video on my samsung galaxy s7 that i found in the woods

[@Castcoder]

The issue was Note 7, not Galaxy S7.

[@nobodyimportant4778]

Ditto can even breed with a creature implicitly stated to be designed as unduplicatable. That's kind of disturbing.

[@armorbearer9702]

Porygon still takes up space. It could occupy places where native Pokemon sleep and gather.

[@acorn301]

The absolute flex of the Pokemon shirt

[@ResettisReplicas]

Porygon was a lot of fun to play with in Platinum. It’s a travesty that it’s been so hard to obtain up till then.

[@psyxypher3881]

Of all the things I thought might happen today, hearing someone praise the grenade phone is not one of them.

[@FreyOdyssey]

tbh Porygon is a missed chance for the generic public brand Poképhone, like Cyclizar is for transportation.

[@lucideirune1635]

There was a Pokemon episode where the Electrode were an invasive species in a city.

[@nav3346]

I didn't really think about it till now, but why haven't they made more Porygon esc. Pokemon? I get that PorygonZ is considered the "failure", but Mewtwo was beyond a succes and other artificial Pokémon have been made. Why not make more/different digital Pokémon?

[@oAndreGabs]

Porygon makes more sense to be invading the player smarphone/pokedex than Roton

[@psyxypher3881]

"This is an extremely unusual way of determining environmental balance." [laughs in Feebas being determined by the current trendy phrase in Dewford town]

[@ShamankingZuty]

@1:19 Is this a Dan Nainan reference? Respect.😂

[@Vaelosh466]

Porygon dig themselves into walls in Pokémon Snap, but if that had any deleterious effect on the environment there are a lot of other burrowing Pokémon so Porygon wouldn't be the main cause of it.

[@hunterdolatowski7995]

To be truthful I always though the portals of mirage islands in Oras where confirmed to be hoopas because they look actually like them and also even though the anime isn’t cannon hoopa is able to summon legendary with its rings.

[@SnoFitzroy]

jokes aside the galaxy S series of phones is in fact a good set of devices. Maybe not the ones below S10 these days, but it's always been top of the line at time of release. and i think it'd be cool if the S22 were a wild animal :rofl:

[@maumee22]

As a zoologist, I'd like to point out thet no, Porygon would still not be considered an invasive species even in ORAS and Legends Arceus. Just because they're from a different time doesn't m wn anything, they still haven't brought any modern issues or damsge to thr environment (Pokerus still existed in Pokemon oast, so they're no risk of disease transference through time). This is the same ideology as introducing a modern evolved species to one rhet evolved millions of years ago (a new damselfish species interacting with horseshoe crabs for example, or new flowers growing with old ferns). The species haven't evolved even remotely near the same time, but they still live near each other and interact within reason of each other. Even with the Arceus debate, any aggression can be explained by sudden translocation and thus would make Pokemon that appear in the distortions (Like Magmortar) invasive when they actually aren't. Simple adjustment periods wpuls gloss that over (like translocating a bear to a new environment, or even dogs ro a new home for the simple example). Simply put, from a scientific perspective pf having studied both animals and (to a lesser degree) plants and fungi, Porygon doesn't fot the criteria pf havong caused significant harm to the environment and the P value would show that in mathematical example.

[@EstradusTheDragon]

porygon arent robots or computers; theyre just programs. Theyre virtual reality. Computer graphics that can exist autonomously from the computer. Digimon but they dont need a digivice. Idk; maybe they have a hologram bee like in red dwarf projecting them?

[@Ghasthund]

I’ve been playing these games since I was 4 and I’m in college now, i never noticed it was a duck

[@seven_sirens]

droomish yet another banger, how do you do it?? anyway can you please send me your porygon shirt? thanks

[@VaePomegGlitch]

I learned a tremendous amount about sports

[@Michiganmadecj]

I feel like porygon is technically a digimon

[@grlluigi]

im truly surrounded by beauty

[@notGeist]

Galaxy S7 phones didn’t have any issues whatsoever. It was the Note 7 that blew up, which is an entirely different line of phones from Samsung.

[@pagesmith5081]

Great content as always Droom 🤟🏻

[@aerospherology2001]

Much less electromagnetic interference than Magnemite and Voltorb since they're normal type

[@GameAW1]

It should probably be noted that all pokemon who pop out of a distortion in Arceus are all hostile even if they normally are quite docile, so I think the hostility of Porygon there can be attributed more to the spacetime distortion's effects than the Porygon being hostile in general. I would argue that given the Porygon we see in LGPE (since its the only instance of unchecked, uncontained wild Porygon) reflect on how they interact in an ecosystem, and they just kinda vibe there. They're invasive for sure, but they don't appear to either benefit or harm their environment, and barring any unintentional waste (which we don't really have a record of in any capacity) I would say they're relatively environmentally neutral.

[@gekisage7448]

Conclusion: As always, Porygon is still just our goofy little duck, won't harm... Probably, not that keeping a watch will be that bad anyway