Missingno.
Missingno. ("missing number", like its Japanese name, けつばん (ketsuban), which is Japanese for missing number) is a Pokémon, present probably as a programming oversight in the Game Boy games Pokémon Red and Blue. There have also been Missingno.-like glitches in other Pokémon games, which are even sometimes called a Missingno.; however, these aren't related to the Red/Blue Missingno. Encountering the Missingno. character has been known to damage the software on the game cartridge used in various ways, including the Hall of Fame saved data. Its presence also allows what is known as the "Rare Candy Cheat", although Rare Candies aren't the only items affected.
File:MissingNo ghost.png
Missingno.'s picture appears either as a mass of pixels in a backwards 'L' shape (similar to a Tetris block), or as a ghost from Lavender Tower before receiving the Silph Scope item (examples of both are given above.)
Missingno. was a deliberate glitch added by the programmers of the game to aid them in testing. It allowed them to progress quickly by giving them access to many items straight away. It appears that the beta version of the game had land paths to Cinnabar Island that were removed in the final version - this would be the area where Missingno. is usually caught (see "Details" for directions on how to find it.) The Box Trick would appear to be for the same reason.
Another quasi-Pokémon similar to Missingno. exists that was also added in error, with a glitched name consisting of block shapes and the letter 'M':
This Pokémon (known as 'M) evolves into a Kangaskhan when it is given a Rare Candy, or when it gains experience points after capture. 'M is also commonly referred to as " 'M Block ".
Details
- Both Missingno. and 'M have the identification number #000.
- Their attacks are Water Gun, Water Gun, and Sky Attack.
- Their types are Bird (not Flying) and Normal.
- After encountering Missingno or 'M, the sixth item the player has will be increased.
- If Missingno or 'M is caught neither will appear in the Pokédex.
- Pokémon and trainers may appear backwards or messed (like Missigno and 'M look like) (for a short while) after Missingno or 'M is captured.
Missingno. and 'M can be traded into the Yellow version of the game, but cannot be traded into Pokémon Gold and Silver, its sequels. If Missingno. is caught, strange things may happen to a person's game but they should solve themselves after about 15 minutes, with the exception of the Pokémon Leauge glitch. Contrary to myth, it is untrue that capturing Missingno. will delete a user's game.
How to find Missingno
The most common way to encounter Missingno. or 'M in the Pokémon Red and Blue versions is to do the following:
- Go to the northern part of Viridian City, and tell the guy who teaches you to catch pokémon, "No".
- Fly to Cinnabar Island.
- Surf up and down along the east coast of the island until Missingno. or 'M appears.
More Missingno information
A number of people have claimed that you must have six or less Pokémon with you if you actually try to catch Missingno., otherwise your game may malfunction when you try to withdraw it from the PC.
It is known that if you have four or less Pokémon with you and you capture Missingno., the battle against it will still continue, but its glyph will not be present. If you capture an 'M, instead of the battle ending, there will be an invisible Pokémon battling you. (The invisible Pokémon is really a Ditto.) If you try to capture the now-blank region, it will be as if you have captured a Ditto and were fighting it all along.
Missingno. is one of many glitches that occur in the Red and Blue versions. Although similar, there seems to be no direct connection between Missingno and Glitch City, another glitch that can be accessed. Missingno. has acquired much notoriety due to his presence in many Pokémon myths, especially involving Mew. While the myths aren't true, Mew's popularity ensures that Missingno. will always have a place in Pokémon culture.
'M-Kangaskhan in link cable play
When you play with link cable with a person who uses Red or Blue version against a person who uses Yellow version, and the Red/Blue using person brings out Kangaskhan which has evolved from 'M, strange things start to happen. As an example: Player 1 makes his 'M-Kangaskhan use Water Gun, and Player 2 makes his Jolteon use Pin Missile. On Player 1's GameBoy, Kangaskhan's Water Gun hits, and Jolteon faints. On Player 2's screen, the Water Gun misses and Kangaskhan is hit by Pin Missile. It loses energy. Then, on Player 1's screen, Player 2 sends out Victreebel (though he didn't). The Pokémon looks really messed up, looking like Missingno and 'M do. The battle continues on both screens, but it's different. Unfortunately, this caused such a start to the people who tested this that they didn't find out what happens if either side wins the battle.
See also: Glitch City, Pokémon Cloning