One Pokémon is so overpowered it simply couldn’t be in Scarlet and Violet

Even though Scarlet and Violet finally pushed the National Pokédex past a thousand Pokémon in the franchise, not every species is available in Gen IX. While many simply didn’t make the cut this generation, players have an interesting theory on why one of the weirdest Pokémon is nowhere to be seen in Paldea.

When it comes to weird Pokémon, one of the first to come to mind should be Gen III’s Shedinja. The Bug/Ghost Pokémon not only has a unique evolution method requiring an empty slot in your party and an extra Poké Ball but it’s also known for its signature Wonder Guard ability.

Unfortunately, Shedinja isn’t obtainable in the Gen IX games, but there’s a wild fan theory on why this is the case. And it makes a lot of sense.

One player shared the theory—that Shedinja and its evolutionary line are banned from Paldea for being too hard to defeat if it were to Terastallize—in an Oct. 22 Reddit thread. The people of Paldea could be aware of this danger, the fan wrote, and are actively doing their best to keep the pesky Shedinja out of their region and away from any Tera crystals.

This is of course due to its Wonder Guard ability, which makes Shedinja immune to any attack that isn’t super effective against it. That already gives the Bug/Ghost Pokémon 13 type immunities in its natural typing.

However, if it were to have the Electric Tera Type, it would be immune to every single type except Ground. Shedinja could then hold the Air Balloon item to become immune to Ground attacks. In this peculiar situation, Shedinja would be invincible unless you have alternate ways of dealing damage like hazards and weather. If you aren’t prepared to deal with it, the invincible little bug will simply sit on the field and be an annoying presence forever.

Shedinja might not have the greatest stats, but pairing its 90 base Attack with this semi-invincibility makes it a pain to battle against, and it could end up doing a lot of damage.

No one in Paldea really wants to deal with that, so the theory says the locals will be posted near the region’s four lighthouses to question travelers on whether or not they have a Sheninja, Ninjask, or Nincada with them. Maybe it’s for the best if those Pokémon stay out of any games and regions where Terastallization exists.