Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

It's time for a completely pointless question! I don't even know if I expect anyone to answer.

I just wonder why, in-universe, pretty much everything has a Poké ball symbol on it. I get that maybe Pokémon centres wanted a way to make themselves easily identifiable, like barbers use those spinny poles. Not that they weren't identifiable enough already having bright red or orange roofs.

But that about everything else? I first noticed how weird it was in the opening sequence of XD. The SS Libra has the symbol on its side (the opening actually starts off with a closeup of it). The captain of the ship has it on his hat. But the most ridiculous thing is that the man piloting one of the helicopters that attacks the ship has a helmet with a built-in eyepiece. That eyepiece is the Poké ball symbol.

I assume Poké Balls are older than the red and white ones we're used to; they were probably made out of apricorns before big companies started mass-producing sleek ones. So how did it even come about in the first place?



Also I just realised that apricorn is one letter away from capricorn. Whoa.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Actually, that question isn't so pointless. It does make some sense when you think about it in the way that the pokeball really is the only thing that keeps a bond between the trainer and the pokemon. Although how they got red and white could be anyone's guess.

Or maybe the pokeball is the registered trademark of the Silph Co. and they have total dominance over the market? That would be rather reasonable.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

42aruaour said:

Or maybe the pokeball is the registered trademark of the Silph Co. and they have total dominance over the market? That would be rather reasonable.

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I was actually wondering about that, except I was thinking that it's so widespread that it probably isn't a trademark. Plus I think Devon make Poké balls as well? Though all we know is that they make premier and great balls, and I think the balls that was introduced in gen 3. I don't think anyone from Devon gives you a normal ball.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Devon only gives you variations of pokéballs.

Maybe the pokeball could be a symbol saying the equipment was inspected and passed by *insert random corporation name*?

It could've gotten it's read and whit thing from the idea that read is the first primary color, and white is... well... white. I don't know?

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Perhaps, back in the day, long long ago, Pokemon training - or, rather, the ability to befriend Pokemon and gain their assistance in battle - was a rare skill, possessed only by a few individuals. And like many groups that are comprised of a minority, they were feared and reviled; there were people who believed that those with the ability could and would rise up and destroy all "normal" people. And thus, they began to "shut out" the trainers; back then, they had no way of containing a trainer's Pokemon, so they trailed behind, and if someone was spotted with a tag-along Pokemon they'd be kicked out of stores, hotels, et cetera.

So these trainers had to create their own places, and when they did, they needed a symbol to mark that the store/hotel/town was a safe place for Pokemon trainers. So they devised something simple: a ball, half red and half white, symbolizing the unity of people and Pokemon.

Somehow training became a thing of the majority; perhaps something was invented to allow all humans to befriend Pokemon like the trainers, or some disaster wiped out all the non-trainers, or the ability was a dominant mutation that eventually became the norm. And when Pokeballs became a mass-produced thing someone did their research and fashioned them after that symbol!

...alternatively it just became. like. the symbol of training or something. that works too. (besides, my theory's probably been contradicted and wasn't even serious. though that would be a cool interpretation)

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

That's actually a really interesting idea.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Flora said:

and if someone was spotted with a tag-along Pokemon they'd be kicked out of stores, hotels, et cetera.

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That actually made me wonder if it could be a sort of "Pokémon must be in balls beyond this point" thing that was eventually forgotten.

Though that wouldn't make much sense, since Pokémon centres.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Murkrow said:

That actually made me wonder if it could be a sort of "Pokémon must be in balls beyond this point" thing that was eventually forgotten.

Though that wouldn't make much sense, since Pokémon centres.

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Who's to say it's not still a thing? I mean, Amity Square is the only place in Sinnoh that lets trainers take out their Pokemon, and even then it's still only a few! Sure, there are a few Pokemon outside of balls in every game, but they tend to be fairly "harmless."

As of HGSS, Johto doesn't give a shit.

(As for Pokemon Centers, maybe the technology only works for Pokemon in balls. Or takes longer for Pokemon outside balls.)

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I guess it could also be a symbol that supposed to remind you of your pokemon.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I don't know, I don't think it's that farfetch'd (ha) when you consider how easy it is to find things with hearts or stars or playboy rabbits on them or something. people buy crap all the time with hearts on them, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything, they often just consider it aesthetically pleasing, so it's not exactly a stretch to think that people would buy stuff in the pokemon world with pokeballs on them. there's also the fact that the pokemon world society is overwhelmingly pro-pokemon. I can think of extremely few people who actively dislike pokemon (as opposed to using them for their power or exploiting them for money; while that's abuse, parties that do so obviously recognise the value of pokemon). pokeballs also represent all of the wide plethora of pokemon, ranging from things like clefairy or pikachu to garchomp or hariyama or something. the pokeball represents tough, scary pokemon as much as it does less threatening, cuter ones, so it makes sense for it to be used for everything. maybe people stick pokeball symbols to boats to wish them the strength and good luck of water pokemon on the high seas, maybe villains stick them on their bases/weapons/etc. to demonstrate their strength, like a crest or heraldric symbol, and maybe people just decorate wtf ever with pokeballs because they like pokemon (like about half the tshirts you can buy in X and Y). I mean, there's obviously a lot of diversity in there for one symbol, but when you consider that pokemon centers are used to heal pokemon, gym buildings are used to battle pokemon, cafes are built so you can take your pokemon in there, some groups worship pokemon as deities, etc. etc. it makes sense. we have different symbols for those things, but that's because our entire society doesn't revolve around pokemon.

I do understand where you're getting at though, because this becomes kind of ridiculous in game. "you can recognise pokemon centers for their pokeball symbols!" "as opposed to literally every other building??" "ok well it's got a red roof too"

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I think Silph Co. owns the copyright on them. However, as evidenced by Devon Corp. and the PokeBall Factory in Kalos, they're certainly not the only ones who make them.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I don't think there's an in-universe answer for things like these ones. People that play Pokémon associate the franchise with PokéBalls, and even people that don't play. It makes sense to me that they put PokéBalls everywhere, even as they do Pikachu, despite Pikachu having little in-game importance outside of Yellow.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Because you gotta catch 'em all.

And Silph Co. probably has a hand in it.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I think the Pokeball is the symbol for the Pokemon League. It seems like their the most important group out there, at least as far as Pokemon training is concerned. They're definitely the ones running the gyms, and it would make sense if they were in charge of the Pokemon centers, too. And since everyone associates the Pokemon League with strong trainers, everyone who's marketing their product towards young, aspiring trainers would want to use the League's symbol, explaining how it got onto so many hats and things.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Oh, country flags are comparable to PokéBalls, in a way.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Qval, in what way?

Putting some of Butterfree's theory on the advent on Pokémon training together with Flora's theory, we get that, after Apricorns were harnessed into Poké Ball-like things and after the mass producing of the balls, they were modeled into that symbol. Adding to Flora's theory, perhaps depending on the symbol in place (Poké/Great/Ultra/Master Ball), that was the quality of Trainers accepted.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I liek Squirtles said:

Adding to Flora's theory, perhaps depending on the symbol in place (Poké/Great/Ultra/Master Ball), that was the quality of Trainers accepted.

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Oooh, that would be an interesting AU.

the more we add the more i want to write it

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

Maybe the title of Gym Leaders originated from those community heads that accepted Trainers. The League, at one time, was simply the strongest Trainers from all the communities, and also the most shunned. Why do you think they're always in a hard to reach place?
Eventually, companies like Silph picked the emblem up to show they accepted Trainers, and the rest is history.

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

The Pokéball... Most people ask me only why it is so ubiquitous. However... the far more relevant question is this: What is the Pokéball?

The Pokéball is not a thing. It is, in fact... a person.

Allow me to clarify.

Are you familiar with the modern icons for male, ♂, and female, ♀? These, actually, are not the original symbols for male and female. Many people incorrectly assume the male symbol is derived from a shield and spear, while the female symbol represents a mirror reflecting beauty. In fact, the symbols originated as ancient astronomical symbols for the planet-god Mars and planet-goddess Venus. The original symbols are far simpler:


This symbol is the original icon for male. A rudimentary phallus. This icon is formally known as the blade, and it represents aggression and manhood. In fact, this exact phallus symbol is still used today on modern military uniforms to denote rank. The female symbol, as you might imagine, is the exact opposite:


This is called the chalice. The chalice resembles a cup or vessel, and more important, it resembles the shape of a woman's womb. This symbol communicates femininity, womanhood, and fertility.

Now consider the ancient symbol of the Pokéball, and it all begins to come together:


Today the Pokéball as a symbol represents a container - like a chalice. But the Pokéball as container is actually an allegory to protect the true nature of the Pokéball. That is to say, the legend uses the Pokéball as a metaphor for something far more important... a woman.

The chalice is the ancient symbol for womanhood, and the Pokéball represents the sacred feminine and the goddess, which of course has now been lost, virtually eliminated by the Church. The power of the female and her ability to produce life was once very sacred, but it posed a threat to the rise of the predominantly male Church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean. It was man, not God, who created the concept of 'original sin,' whereby Eve tasted of the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.

The Pokéball is symbolic of the lost goddess. When Christianity came along, the old pagan religions did not die easily. Legends of chivalric quests for the lost GS Ball were in fact stories of forbidden quests to find the lost sacred feminine. The knights were speaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine.

So you see, the Pokéball is a person. And not just any person: a woman who carried with her a secret so powerful that, if revealed, it threatened to devastate the very foundation of Christianity!

And who is this woman? Here, let me show you a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.

Do you see now? Do you see it?

Re: Why is the Poké Ball symbol so ubiquitous?

I liek Squirtles said:

Qval, in what way?

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Country flags are the embodiment of its respective country itself, so it is usually displayed quite frequently for obvious reasons. In ways similar to this, the Pokémon world is, well, a fitting title. The whole world basically revolves around Pokémon in one way or another. So the thing that makes the essential partnership possible is probably symbolic and thus displayed all about.

EDIT: We are forever in your debt for this revolutionary realization, MD. May the bards of the land forever sing of your genius.