Pokmon Nuzlocke Challenge Origin & Name Meaning Explained

May 2024 · 3 minute read

Nuzlocke challenge runs are some of the most enjoyable ways to play the Pokémon games and they had their start on the Internet in webcomic form.

Nuzlocke challenge runs are some of the most popular ways to play the Pokémon video games. A lot of people play Nuzlocke runs online, but not everyone is aware of its origins or how it became popular.

There are two main rules for a Nuzlocke run. The first rule is that if a Pokémon faints then it's considered dead. The player must either release the Pokémon or leave it in the box. The second rule is that the player can only catch the first Pokémon they encounter in each area. This means that if they KO the Pokémon or it runs away, then they cannot catch another Pokémon in that area. There are a number of optional rules, with the most popular being that the player should nickname all of their Pokémon, but those first two are crucial to every Pokémon Nuzlocke run.

The reason people love Nuzlocke runs is that they add a much-needed layer of challenge to the Pokémon games. It's now possible to get a game over, as the player can run out of Pokémon if they're all KO'd. The first encounter rule also means that players will have to experiment with Pokémon that they normally wouldn't use. Nuzlocke runs are popular on livestreams, but their origins can be traced to webcomics.

Pokémon: What The Nuzlocke Run's Origin Is

The creator of the Nuzlocke run is Nick Franco, who originally codified the main rules of a Nuzlocke run in his webcomic. The origin of the name comes from the Seedot/Nuzleaf that appeared in the original comic, which Franco would draw with the face of John Locke from the TV series Lost. Franco refers to the challenge runs as Hard-Modes, and the Nuzlocke name is a fan creation that stuck. The original Nuzlocke run ended in failure, as the player's team was defeated by Pokémon Champion Steven Stone, but it spawned countless other attempts by fans. Franco continued the comic with Nuzlocke runs for Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon White, the latter of which is still ongoing.

The Pokémon video games are made with children in mind, which is why the single-player content is so easy to complete. The series is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, which means that there are a lot of adult fans who just breeze through the games. The reason Nuzlocke challenges are popular is that they make fans take a new approach to games they may have played countless times before, giving them a glimpse of the difficult Pokémon games that many wish Game Freak would release.

Next: Why Pokémon's Best Region Is Hoenn

Source: Nuzlocke

Related Topics About The Author

Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early ‘90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.

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