Pokémon's Vanishing Virus (A Pokérus Deep Dive)

Pokérus is a little known virus with even less information available for it. This video covers the in game mechanics, the math behind the condition, and what to do if you find yourself with Pokérus. This video also covers GameFreak's apparent removal of Pokérus from the series, and why they might be doing this.
This is my 200 sub special, thank you all so much! I have had so much support since my last video and I just want to thank everyone who has been watching.
Sources
pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Pokérus
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
https:
//bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokérus
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
www.serebii.net/games/pokerus...
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...
www.smogon.com/forums/threads...
pycosites.com/pkmn/stat.php
• TogamiBot Pokerus " R... (Pokerus Gen2 Catch)
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi...)
httpkoopa.tumblr.com/post/611...

[@grayishere]

I'm so sorry for the poorly mixed audio, it sounded fine on my PC and headphones. But next video I'll test more places before uploading

[@PyroSparton117]

Hey Gray, I’m a sound engineer and can help if you have questions on gear or anything! Hope you’re well!

[@devilsadvocate8010]

Honestly a lot better than a lotta trash on KZbin. Really well edited I liked the vid a lot.

[@grayishere]

I would really appreciate it! @@PyroSparton117 How should I go about contacting you to pick your brain a bit?

[@grayishere]

Thank you! @@devilsadvocate8010 Hopefully it will continue to get better too. Hope you stay and watch my progress!

[@dawnclark9921]

I assumed it was because you were holding your mic so close to your face?

[@Geobeetle]

I’ve received Pokerus THREE TIMES throughout my pokemon career. All from RNG not trading. That’s more than the amount of shiny pokemon I’ve seen

[@grayishere]

Teach me your secrets

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

It happened twice to me, without searching it. The first time was in Diamond who also gave me my first (full odd) shiny (but I've lost both in the cartridge since then. At least it spread around and got traded before) The 2nd time is in my latest HGSS run. Why Gen 4 is giving so much, where I played 3 and 5 way more (and didn't get any shinies in them) is the biggest mistery to me (I've got a few full odd shinies past Gen 6, since it's easier, not counting ORAS ofc)

[@NeeNyah]

Same here. Got it in diamond twice, then heart gold

[@marill1616]

Dito, i have like 4 file’s with pokerus

[@PansyPops]

The only time I’ve got it was coincidentally after catching MewTwo in XY. I feel like it was a scripted event, but it was cool to get and pretty useful.

[@Silentgrace11]

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was completely removed from Violet/Scarlet from the outset because an ongoing virus in a Spain-inspired game may already have people turning heads, let alone on the heels of the next pandemic that followed over 100 years after the the 1900 influenza

[@grayishere]

This is also an amazing point that I didn't think of while writing

[@treble9761]

especially being a kids' game. I work in childcare, and we don't even say 'homesick' anymore because of how much panic kids have about illness because of Covid.

[@AkaiAzul]

Funnily enough, the irl Spanish Flu didn't even originate from Spain: it was one of the few countries reporting it at the time.

[@Silentgrace11]

AkaiAzul: indeed! And likewise, amidst war tensions at the time, it was likely very easy to blame a country that very much attempted to stay neutral during the war to the chagrin of warring powers ☕️ But yeah, I do make an effort to refer to it as the 1900s influenza or similar verbiage where I can just because Spanish Flu is such a misnomer (I think more accurately it’d be the 1918 influenza, but still lolol)

[@Gloomdrake]

@@AkaiAzuldidn’t it originate in Kansas or something?

[@fennwenn3317]

I've had two cases of natural pokerus in my life. Once in Platinum, where I panicked because wtf is this thing attached to my Hippowdon, and once in Sun & Moon where I didn't notice until my whole party had it and it was already inert.

[@grayishere]

It sucks you didn't notice till they where all cured. But having two cases of it in two separate gens is really cool

[@stevenfeagley2552]

I have experienced POKERUS multiple times, I also experienced a quicker rise of friendship when dealing with friendship evolutions.

[@biancahendriks5387]

I'd also gotten it twice naturally. The first time was in my very first generation, which was 6!😂 At the time I had no idea what it was, but the second time I got it on my mons in the second game (I can't remember which game this was) I knew that I wanted to preserve the Pokerus. I decided to store some of the active pokerus pokemon in the box until I knew what to do with it. I still haven't gotten back to it😂

[@Kolbykooz]

Hatching a Masuda shiny Galarian Ponyta with natural Pokerus is still the most shocking thing that has ever happened to me.

[@zetafish7347]

I always saw the effects not going away after being cured as kinda like chickenpox. You're "cured" but it may come back as shingles so it's technically still there. I think that's how pokerus works too.

[@robertsanders4575]

Eh, despite being 'Pokemon virus', it's arguably not an actual virus. It's even described in the games as only being 'like' a virus, and is a bunch of 'microscopic life-forms that attach to Pokemon'. Basically pet pet pets. Mutualistic parasites.

[@FunnyFany]

We love a disease that make number go up faster

[@grayishere]

Facts

[@TheEvilRohanite]

I dunno how I never thought about the Covid connection but damn, that's totally it isn't it. Not the first time the franchise has tippy toed around potential controversy, everyone knows about Porygon never getting another anime appearance but they even banned an episode based on Earthquakes (and subsequently never showed the move again in future episodes).

[@jordanthejq12]

Pokemon tweets "Porygon did nothing wrong" Okay then, put it back in the anime!

[@black-redpill3]

There is one thing forgotten to mention in this video, and its actually how you can identify you have encountered a wild mon with Pokerus or that your mon has caught it. Depending on the game, the infected mon will play their injured cry instead of their regular cry when infected with Pokerus even at full HP. This applied both to your mons and the wild encounter mons. I'm not sure of all the games this occurs in, I have only noticed it in DPP, and X/Y as during my playthroughs of both I encountered an odd sounding wild mon before my own mon gained Pokerus. It is very likely to have occured in other games too. I'm genuinely still not sure if it is a bug or not with some kind of trigger since the topic is so niche to begin with. I came hoping that it would be mentioned so I am bringing it up here

[@grayishere]

I genuinely had no idea about this and didn't see it mentioned anywhere else. Thank you for bringing this to my attention

[@rea_lity_earning]

God I think that's why I started playing all my pokemon games without sounds. My first starter had it, so I always played with them and something in the sound started to annoy me/creep me out. I still play almost all my games on mute (without voice acting).

[@valzone]

I think youtube has decided my ideal content is when people talk for a concerning amount of time about pokemon. It's right, though.

[@grayishere]

KZbin decided a similar fate for me as well

[@Puerco-Potter]

You came here from the pokeblocks video don't you?

[@monopolyrubix1875]

This is a fun video! I actually got Pokerus legitimately back in the day in Heartgold! The team I got it with ended up being my favorite team to battle my friends with, and that Scizor made Scizor one of my favorite Pokemon. I passed Pokerus around on the GTS when Black was new, too. I actually have some fond memories of the mechanic. Regarding evolving the mechanic, I think that, back in Gen 3 and Gen 4, it would have been cool if different strains of Pokerus could change your Pokemon's liked and disliked flavors. You could max out a contest stat with liked blocks/poffins, then change their liked flavor, and max out a different stat. It would help you get all the contest ribbons on one Pokemon, and changing taste is something that real viruses do! Regarding curing, I imagine Pokerus as a retrovirus, which is a virus that transcripts its own genes into the host's DNA. When your Pokemon is infected, they have enough of a viral load to be contagious. When they are "cured", their antibodies have removed enough virus that they are no longer contagious, but they will always be creating more virus because it is in their DNA, so they still get symptoms (doubled EVs). Also, that guy with Oak in the intro looks like Dr. Wily

[@grayishere]

I've never been lucky enough to get it myself but it is so cool to hear from someone who has! Also I really like your ideas on evolving the mechanic, seeing what you had to add only makes me more sad about the missed potential it had And finally regarding it being a retro virus, my research for this video and initial script included a section about What Pokerus would be by real world medical standards and seeing if I could find any allegories to real life. But that ended up ballooning into it's own thing. However the thought of a retro virus never occurred to me, thank you I'm going to need to add that into my notes

[@Rot8erConeX]

It being a retrovirus (rewriting the host's DNA) also ties farther into the fan theory that Deoxys is tied to Pokerus. Though that's one fan theory buffing another, so maybe shouldn't be seen as valid.

[@lianaverwood9810]

Note that the Dr. Wily-Like character is *Professor Nanba, Team Rocket's current Head Scientist* - _first Introduced in the Anime during the Johto Arc,_ his main Projects involve bringing out the Dormant Power of Pokémon through any means necessary: like a much Shadier *Colress,* before Colress ever existed. His Position in Team Rocket is so important that many of Boss Giovanni's Henchmen - including *the Two Team Rocket Grunt-Gangs followed in the Show* _(Jessie, James, Meowth, Cassidy and Butch)_ - have been delegated to him whenever one of his Projects is in need of Assistance. He is likely _just below Giovanni's Persian_ in the Team Rocket Hierarchy, and *his most Favored* _Human_ *Subordinate...* _Prof. Nanba's First attempt at bringing out a Pokémon's latent power_ was by Inducing Mental Anguish to consume them into a Berserk Rage, which worked as well as it could - *provided they were focused towards the Enemy* and brought back to their Pokéballs whenever _they turned their attention towards Allies!_ Between that issue and the fact that it wasn't enough to completely turn a Pokémon highly-bonded towards their previous Trainer meant *it was considered a Failure for the purposes of Stealing Already-Trained Pokémon* - the Research would likely _have become adopted by the Admins of_ *Team Cipher,* to begin developing an Extremely UnEthical variation of the Project: Closing off a Pokémon's Heart towards Everything Completely, becoming *Evil Shadow Pokémon...*

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

​@@Rot8erConeXPokerus came out in Gen 2 though...

[@PrismitBun]

I think a good way they could bring back the Pokerus mechanic in a way, would be to introduce a new key item like "Effort Charm" which just doubles your EV gains forever. Maybe as a postgame reward for reaching a certain early milestone in the game's battle facility, or just after winning a league rematch or something if there's no battle facility. It's simpler, more consistent, and avoids the negative associations with viruses. They seem to be adding a lot of charm items lately too, so I could definitely see them doing something like this!

[@dazzake7431]

That's actually a pretty good idea.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Maybe as a consumable item? Some sort of Vitamin or treat?

[@alecjohnson55]

cool video! One thing you could cover as far as downsides is that speedrunners consider getting pokerus pretty much an automatic reset. Speedruns have become so optimized that doubling your EV gains messes up a run that's built around having certain EVs at certain checkpoints.

[@shieldon530]

When I played SoulSilver as a kid I remember seeing the yellow face thing on some of the Pokémon I regularly used including my Typhlosion. For the longest time I had NO IDEA what it was until years later I stumbled across pokerus’ bulbapedia page or a KZbin video or something. I think that was pretty cool and lucky, especially since I also remember catching a shiny Fearow near the pokeathelon in the same save file. Also, I love and appreciate the reminder to take my meds it’s 11am and I still need to go do that lol!

[@CaptainObliviousV]

I remember getting Pokerus only once, but it didn’t happen naturally. In X I received a Breloom with it from a friend while we were on an overnight field trip in middle school, the Breloom has their owner info so it wasn’t hacked since they’ve never known how to do that kind of stuff, but they didn’t know if it happened naturally for them either.

[@tenebra9962]

In my Pokemon Black playthrough, over years, I never found a Shiny. I did however, stumble across Pokerus, and have since kept that chain alive over the generations. I do miss it a lot in Violet, it would make EV training so much faster.

[@JMHV]

I've gotten Pokérus naturally several times throughout the years, and I've never felt it was THAT rare. I've probably contracted the virus twice as often as I've found a shiny.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

In Gen 2 it was way rarer iirc

[@afish2281]

I got Pokerus 3 times between games. In Y it was on my Fenniken. In Sun and Ultra Sun I hilariously got it on the first early route Ratata I can find in both games. I then started to preserve Pokerus by catching random Pokemon. Maybe it's more common early game and carried more commonly by some Pokemon that would carry more disease.

[@grayishere]

I never thought about looking into if it is more common in some areas rather that others. I'll see if that's information I can find somehow

[@koenko]

nice video! i'm not very familiar with pokemon's more niche game mechanics but i was recommended this randomly, your work is great and i enjoyed learning something new! keep it up

[@grayishere]

Thank you! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it! There's more to come

[@raxon912]

Great presentation of the subject, my only real criticism is being careful about overlapping audio from your background track and any other inserts you may include.

[@Hello-It-Is-I]

discovered this channel on a whim after searching "pokemon deep dive", and between this and the pokemon timeline video i'm hugely looking forward to whatever else you've got in store going forward!

[@grayishere]

Thank you! I have one more pokemon video that is about to come out then I already have my video topic planned and researched

[@SatyamSamantray]

The research and presentation of the video are on point!

[@grayishere]

Aw thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

[@headhomegamer6024]

THIS IS SUCH A COOL CHANNEL AAAAAAAA its so well researched and documented. Happy to be hereeeee

[@grayishere]

Thank you! This means so much to read! I hope you stick around and keep enjoying the content

[@spamh0g]

Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed it. Its quite a complicated topic as all pokemon mechanics are but you explained it so well. :D I hope you keep up your videos.

[@grayishere]

I will! I have one coming out soon, hope you come back and to enjoy more!

[@flyingtaco2001]

Super fun and informative video!! I also LOVE your outfit!

[@thisismyaltaccount4195]

Well done! I can't wait to stop by for more deep dive videos in the future! I'd encourage doubling down on your creative style of editing to let your personality shine through. Don't be afraid to get experimental and have fun with it! Can't wait for the next one

[@willdoggy02]

Amazing video! I love your style

[@NovaKumo]

I did NOT expect you to be under 1k. I gotta binge watch now

[@PastelBlossom2]

This video actually genuinely helped me understand it for once XD thank you!

[@plushdragonteddy]

this is so neat! i don't remember ever having a full (or even serviceable) understanding of pokerus before, so this is really cool. i'm glad to have found your channel!

[@glitchycharlizard5324]

Glad this popped up in my recommended list! Looking forward to your future videos. :)

[@marthenheimer5278]

I got Pokerus in Ruby as a kid and got really scared so I reset it crying lol. Great vid btw cool to learn the math behind it! :)

[@superfxchip8247]

Great video! We love niche Pokémon content delivered 30 minutes at a time. Keep up the good stuff! :]

[@grayishere]

Will do! Might not be pokemon every time tho

[@superfxchip8247]

@@grayishere Even better! :] You've got a varied backlog already, excited to see the variety in the future

[@DeepGamingResearch]

Loved the video Gray, instant sub. Looking forward to more

[@grayishere]

Thank you!

[@dahuntre]

Keep it up! Still remember my first pokerus- I was in Black, running through Route 1 way into postgame, and I had no idea what to think

[@chandlereverhart7339]

I’ve caught pokerus twice in my total playtime. The only time I can remember the details was in ORAS, while trying to get a shiny shroomish. I think my first Pokémon to catch it was my sceptlie as it was in the post game.

[@Savariable]

there was one time where I was doing a hardcore nuzlocke in soulsilver where I literally got pokerus twice completely independently. Like all my team members were already no longer contagious when I realized I caught it AGAIN somehow only like a week or 2 later- I have never been that lucky before or since-

[@d_brown_ski3009]

Great video! This the kinda shit i like to see from an up and comer! Keep it up!

[@AveryAYMMcWhorter]

this is a great video! Cant believe youre under a thousand!

[@Kayume]

Ohhhhhh, the tiny creatures message! I saw that when I was a kid playing Gold (like, gen 2; not HeartGold). I never knew what it was or even particularly thought about it much. I certainly never went to Elm about it, haha. To think, it was pokerus the whole time! I must have been one of the first people to get it, given that Gen 2 was still brand new at the time. Wild!!

[@feliperennt]

Super fan of your video! I just found your channel and subscribe 👏🏼

[@ArcherJLady]

Well, congrats on 1k!

[@HEARTLESSKAMUI]

My favorite kind of content, peeps explaining stuff on a screen. Less than 1k subs is criminal for this quality, but I'm glad to be here before that milestone :)

[@ghostofmaxx]

you are going to love the next video!!!

[@maxcarrizales5575]

great vid! I could never wrap my head around pokerus so this really helped!

[@dianaburn2474]

Hello! Not sure how the algorithm led me here, but this was a nice video! I already knew of Pokerus and most of its mechanics, but even I learned a couple of things! Nice to meet you!

[@miguelesquivel121]

Glad i get to be an earlyish subscriber.

[@hip-hopanonymous5995]

For the record, you convinced me to subscribe before the first minute was over

[@Caffeinated_Firefly]

*looks at the sub count 2 days after publication* 1.03k damn, congrats!

[@MrToby11]

My very first pokemon typhlosion got pokerus naturally and somehow didnt spread it to any of my other pokemon. I didnt know about evs then but it made him unique so that was kinda cool.

[@diegovicencio6323]

This video was lovely thanks

[@TheNeraum]

Oh it's so sweet you talking about a 100 sub special, up to 224 by editing, uploaded 3 days ago, and now you're at well over 1300, that's amazing

[@KA1SZN]

Great video!!!

[@grayishere]

Thank you!!

[@cevinhulsen8956]

27:27 Wow! And how much more subs you've got in such a short amount of time! 🙏

[@grayishere]

At this point it's even crazier

[@TheDarkChrysalis]

Nice vid, pokerus is one of the most curious things in pokémon

[@MakinItRain24-7]

"who's fortress I don't know her" - iconic

[@netsukii7594]

your 100 sub celebration is 5x out of date 1 day since upload congrats

[@jan-seli]

100 subscriber special, and now she's past 1000. Nice

[@TheDarkChrysalis]

I thought it was a crossdresser for some reason lol

[@waterworks_yes]

i got pokerus on my pokémon pearl 3 or so months ago, and got it on my alpha sapphire the other day too! i’ve never really understood it’s origins until now though, good video!

[@f_yu]

when i was younger i would get pokerus every damn playthrough and i thought it was like a common event everyone went through at least once on a save file. i was so frustated when my fellow classmates didn't know what i was talking about, just HOW DISTRACTED could you have been to miss that. now i am older and i realize how lucky i got with rng, both pokerus and shiny-wise

[@neen2660]

I was such an anxious child. Black was my first game and I got the dialogue from the nurse that my Pokémon had pokerus and I felt my heart pounding in my chest lol. I had no idea what it was. I was like 11 and didn’t have the thought to google it either so I was just hella nervous for a while until nothing bad happened. It was at one of the first Pokémon centers too lol

[@GloomyFish]

I recently replayed Soul Silver and managed to encounter Pokerus - I was honestly so happy lmao

[@transgirlgeology2464]

Fantastic video just what i wanted to know

[@Mx._Chievous]

Literally 11 days after this video was uploaded, I got pokerus in my copy of Crystal on 3ds. And the wildest part is that the first Pokémon in my party was Pineco. Idk what the odds of that exact scenario matching up with your video are but they’ve got to be astronomical. So id like to think that I have you to thank for this blessing being brought to me and my party.

[@FreeTempest]

Awesome video! So happy I stumbled across your channel. If I could make one suggestion, I would recommend very slightly lowering the volume of background music so we can hear you better. Can't wait to see what you do next! Unengaging content? We don't know her xx

[@GavinAstraWolf]

Outside of the sound mixing this was a neat video! I funnily enough got Pokerus naturally for my first time in Emerald like a month ago. I couldn't believe it since its so rare to happen. Before that I usually got it from other people or from Bad Eggs. lol

[@Wanderer_of_Sol]

I've always wondered about this stuff, and that was really easy to follow. And you seem to be interested in the same weird niche nerdy stuff I am, so I'm just going to toss you a sub and so now you've got... almost 1.5k. Girl, you're taking off. This must have been an exciting 4 days for you :D

[@grayishere]

Thank you so much! All the support has been insane and beyond anything I imagined

[@AbsolXGuardian]

Your fee assocation image editing is very fun. Helps make for very engaging video 10:54 So Pokerus is reverse chronic fatigue syndrome

[@tinydwagon2795]

Wonderful video! You have a great sense of humor, especially with your text additions while video editing. The naughty nature bit nearly made me spit my coffee. If you'd like any feedback (and feel free to skip, you are doing great on your own!), I'd recommend a little less time for the pauses between bits, like the Guess Who Pokemon part. (Fortress I don't know her was so good though pinco bby forever over silly meatball rock). And leaving the full graphs on screen for folks like me who have no short term memory what so ever so I can compare visually. And you already know about the sound mixing, so I'm not gonna comment on it. We all have our learning moments! I loved this and always wondered what was up exactly with Pokerus! Thanks for making this!

[@grayishere]

I really appreciate the feedback thank you! Audio problems should be fixed with all videos going forward (I hope)

[@bizerra3422]

great video! i'm sub number 969 :D

[@haileymae66]

i’m so proud of how far you’re coming on your channel!! ❤

[@haileymae66]

also i’m loving the look

[@ALLANX7]

I could've used this 10 years ago; Better late than never.... What you've done is great.

[@-libertyprimev1-902]

My favorite Pokerus Theory is it's Deoxys, or rather Deoxys is a composite of microrganisms that after flying past (this would account for timelines with Pokerus but without an obtainable Deoxys) or landing on Earth passively spread bits of itself which then latch to Pokemon and enhance the host in a sort of symbiotic relationship. There's a wilder tangent of this theory that thinks Deoxys is a Mutated Porygon-Z (pokedex states Porygon2 was meant to be a super computer that can traverse space and Porygon-Z was meant to traverse alien dimensions) and that Pokerus was an unrelated Space Virus that then mutated upon it's first contact with a Pokemon into Deoxys (this would also explain why in every timeline with a Deoxys it somehow always ends up on Earth despite the vastness of space, because it would be from Earth meant to return) enhancing both of their capabilities also allowing it to adapt into a virus all Pokemon are susceptible to.

[@-libertyprimev1-902]

As well this would imply a Pokemon isn't "cured" of Pokerus when it stops being able to spread it, just that the virus has permanently bonded with the host no longer having the ability or need to spread more, would also explain why then enhancements remain as the body being adapted to it wouldn't simply lose the benefits even if the virus completely left it's body.

[@Justapikachu577]

I think Pokerus should really get more lore, maybe a mythical or rare pokemon that was the "originator" of the virus. Or returning as a different mechanic? Idk I just really like it as a concept even if the mechanic is redundant now.

[@grayishere]

I really like it as a mechanic and plot device, so much potential, it is such a shame to see it left so unexplored for decades

[@Justapikachu577]

@@grayishere I feel the same about this as I do Paradox pokemon. Because the Paradox concept is perfect for things like Missigno or Pokerus. They are real yet they aren't, the glitch is so old yet futuristic. Look Missigno should have been made into a Paradox mon

[@ThatChainmecha]

Love vids going in to obtuse stuff in games like this

[@CommanderWiggins]

Yes give me that deep dive on an extremely specific mechanic in Pokemon, this is the type of content that me and my Pokemon brainworm ridden brain live for.

[@LargeSpinningBlades]

Wow. For a start thank you for unlocking some memories of a summer holiday i had as a kid. We went to butlins and i brought my DS and copy of pokemon Black and at i eneded up making a friend who had white. As i helped him complete his pokedex he noticed i had caught it, i had no idea what it was, but he did, so I spread it to him

[@SophieSquid]

PLEASE tell me what song you have playing in the beginning of the video (0:30 mark or smth) I'm getting a nostalgic awakening and I can't place it

[@yoimp2737]

I love the video! You're criminally underrated here. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to turn down the music a bit and let your voice shine through!

[@foofyaj]

when I was little I saw my Audino and Samurott had a little purple happy face in the summary page and I thought they were just really happy with me lol :) I learned a few years ago it was pokerus!

[@polytanksan5761]

:)

[@tinglyjungle]

Incredible video! I was actually just thinking about how a video like this would be a certified classic, keep up the sick work 🫡🫡🫡

[@astralwyzard]

Congrats on hitting the algorithm! So much for your 200 sub special huh :3 do you have any other socials? I didnt see any.

[@niaxeno]

Does Pokerus affect the gen 2 stat experience system in the same way it affects the EV system today(ish) prior to SV? I know that Stat Experience works by adding the base stats of the pokemon defeated to the stat experience total (max 65535) but I'm wondering if any complications arise from that? So in other words, does it just double the "base stats" gained into the overall stat exp bank? Great video overall, the latter part in particular had a lot of interesting info (such as the four strands) that I didn't know about!

[@nicocchi]

Bulbapedia doesn't make a distinction, so I'd ASSUME it still doubles stat exp just like it would EVs. Probably not the best idea to put forth a Gen II scenario as an example, since it works differently than Gen III and onwards. Additionally, specifically in Gen II, it IS actually possible to completely remove Pokérus-by trading back the Pokémon to Gen I, since Pokérus wasn't a thing back then, the data for it gets lost. This doesn't apply to the example of course since it's Pineco, but say, if you were transferring back a Slowpoke, you could actually completely cure it from Pokérus

[@mjdxp5688]

When I was a kid playing Pokémon Sapphire, I got Pokérus and didn't know what it was. It was almost like a real life creepypasta. The internet was pretty different back then and it didn't really have any information about what Pokérus is, so I was pretty freaked out. I tried isolating all the Pokémon that had gotten it into one box so it wouldn't spread, but eventually all of my best Pokémon ended up getting it. Something that's actually kind of cool is I still have Pokémon with uncured Pokérus on that save file, so I could transfer Pokémon up to Home and continue spreading the same Pokérus strain I got over a decade ago.

[@leilaclarridge5807]

Here’s a potential topic to discuss: the Galarian Legendary Birds and what they imply about the potential that Legendary Pokémon probably breed, and are thus able to evolve to adapt to their ecosystems, or that some Legendary Pokémon convergently evolve to be similar to other Legendary Pokémon.

[@ChickenTeller]

I got pokerus in gen 4 from the GTS and got really scared when it infected my Starraptor. I remember frantically googling and learning that it was nothing to worry about. And then in pokemon Y I was chain fishing and caught a shiny Cloyster with pokerus

[@cookiekatkat5952]

How is this channel so criminally underrated!? Great video btw

[@Jordan-pp5bo]

I always thought it would be cool if Pokérus was like a good and bad thing at the same time Like imagine, your Pokémon gets infected with Pokérus, and it like temporarily halves their stats for a couple days, like a debuff But in the background, it is boosting your EVs, so that they will be much better when the infection eventually subsides Or perhaps they could pivot Pokérus to be entirely a negative thing, being a debuff that lasts multiple days until it has run its course Which could encourage players to *vaccinate* their Pokémon against it, to teach and reinforce how helpful vaccines are

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

I think it's ironic that after all of these decades i managed to catch Pokérus twice but never, not once, encountered a shiny just in the wild. I'm simultaneously extremely lucky but also unlucky.

[@theartofnina]

I still refuse to believe Pokerus is rarer than shinies, I seem to get it all the time and I've found like maybe 2 full odds shinies I wasn't hunting for

[@scout8145]

Great video! I suspect that the pokerus data being present but invisible in SwSh is actually a backwards compatibility thing. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure you can transfer pokémon from Home in and out of both BDSP (which uses pokerus) and SwSh (which doesn’t). So if SwSh didn’t store that info, a quick transfer in and out of SwSh would become a pokerus reset button, which could cause new glitches or exploits.

[@craanes]

Good concept! But the noise balancing in the video was over stimming at times

[@vesstig]

I got Pokerus once on Emerald and panicked thinking something bad would happen

[@grayishere]

I mean with how little the games tell you, if I had gotten it before knowing what it was, I would have been worried that my pokemon is sick / messed up. If they had just been a little more clear so that a feeling of panic wouldn't happen, and I feel the mechanic may have had a longer life cycle.

[@MendedPearl]

I think I've gotten PokeRus (hehehe) like four or five times and thats just absolutely dwarfed by the amount of shinies i have lol. instant sub tho, yt was spot on with this recommend even tho i know about pokerus i don't think i've seen a video about it!

[@duttfisch]

I got it twice legitimately, once in either Diamond or Platinum (can't remember which rn), and then again recently in either Shield or Bdsp ^^ I didn't know that there's different strains that do different things though, super interesting! One small thing I thought I would mention though, the music in the video was quite loud, which made it hard to understand you sometimes. It would make it a lot easier to listen if the music was a bit quieter ^^

[@zking2929]

Great video! I always thought Pokérus was interesting

[@andrewm4190]

Note about the power items. The macho brace is the only one that is a x2 multiplier. The power band, belt, etc all add a flat 8 evs in whatever stat they are associated with. This effect is affected by pokerus. Wild pokemon only give 1-3 evs normally. So if you fight a pokemon that gives you 1 ev in a stat, have the matching power item, and has pokerus, they gain 18 evs per fight. Crazy useful when your trying to max out your evs. It cut it down from needing a minumum of 172 fights (or more likely 508, since the one ev pokemon are usually the easiest to come a cross) down to around 29. It was even better in Sun and Moon, since SOS battles also double your ev gains again, which would boost ev gain to 36 per pokemon KOed. They definitely need to replace pokerus if they really are getting rid of it

[@justfor8550]

this is Exactly what I needed! replaying Sapphire and got the msg at the pokemon center. I didnt even know Pokerus existed. insane how deep Pokemon is, in Love!!!!

[@rulerofjotunheim3160]

Wound up with it by complete accident once while I was trying to figure out what team I wanted to use, accidentally gave it to like two whole boxes and still have a bunch of Pokémon who have it in storage. I had absolutely no idea what it was at all!

[@chopshop94]

I remember being around 7 or 8 with my copy of Pokémon crystal on the gameboy color. I brought my party to a Pokémon center and by this point I was just button mashing A to get through it. I knew how this process went so I just wanted my Pokémon back. But then I saw some extra dialogue pop up. I healed them all over again to read it and still didn’t really understand. Then I checked over my party and noticed one had a little face near the stat block. Needless to say that is as far as my inquisitive mind got. Years later I actually found out about pokerus and it answered a question I had for years 😂 …anyway that’s my story thanks for coming to my Ted talk and all that. I’d love to hear your pre-internet Pokémon discoveries!

[@taihsthatbind]

Loving the niche content. Gives good brain chemicals.

[@grayishere]

Thank you!