Insane Pokemon Charmander theory goes viral on TikTok – is it true?

Brent Koepp
Screenshot of Charmander next to Cubone in Pokemon anime.

A wild Pokemon fan theory is blowing up on TikTok about Cubone’s true origin. Is the classic Gen I Ground-type really related to Charizard?

Despite its debut in Red & Blue in 1996, Gen I Pokemon Cubone still has a lot of mystery surrounding its species. Sure, we all know the tragic story behind the skull it wears, but what exactly is the Ground-type’s origins?

Fans of the Nintendo series were stunned when a viral TikTok seemed to answer this question with a mind-blowing revelation. The viral theory has some Trainers believing it, but is it actually true?

Screenshot of Cubone from Pokemon anime.
Is Cubone really related to Charmander? A viral TikTok has set the platform on fire.

Pokemon Charmander theory goes viral on TikTok

The theory first went viral March 15 when TikTok user ‘pikachu4president21’ reacted to ‘prof_frags’ speech about Cubone. “[Cubone] is a Charmander. So what happens is at birth, Charmander usually hatches out of the egg, and the Charizard lights its tail on fire,” they explained.

In the clip, Frags then reveals how the Fire-type and Ground-type were supposedly related. “But if the parent soon dies after, the Charmander doesn’t get its tail lit, and sits next to its dead parent’s corpse until it rots away, and then puts its skull on,” they said.

Reacting to the fan theory, user pikachu4president then takes their Cubone plush and removes the skull to reveal what looks like a dead ringer for the Gen I Fire stater ‘mon. Within just four days, the video exploded on the platform with over 858k views.

Many fans of the RPG series were shocked by the Cubone origin theory. “Welp there goes my childhood,” one fan wrote. Another replied, “I’m sorry what. How I never notice this.” Others called it mind-blowing.

Screenshot of Pokemon fans reacting to viral TikTok Charmander theory.

Unfortunately, the Cubone evolution concept isn’t true. It’s actually been kicked around since the 90s. A similar theory even exists that states that the Ground-type is actually a baby Kangaskhan wearing its mother skull instead.

It’s interesting to think that decades later, the Poke-myth is able to find a new life on social media. Given that the Pokemon franchise has introduced special evolution chains, the original idea wasn’t too far off, though.

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