Pokémon has become the highest-grossing media franchise in the world in recent years, due in large part to the community it has built around series games. Perhaps one of the best ways Pokémon has been able to grow this community is through online play. However, not all of Pokémon’s creatures are welcome in an online arena.

During Pokémon Generations V, VI, and VII, players were able to participate in multiplayer online battles through Pokémon Global Link. This feature was later replaced in early 2020 by Nintendo Switch Online for Generation VIII. Pokémon Global Link allowed players from around the world to compete against each other and view battle rankings through its Global Battle Union (GBU).

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Over the course of its run, Global Battle Union has banned several Pokémon from battle. These included Legendary or Mythical monsters and Phione, whose status as a Mythical Pokémon is often debated. However, there was one unexpected addition to this list: Chatot. Despite being one of the weakest Pokémon, Chatot was surprisingly banned by the GBU from online play, according to Bulbapedia.

Why The Pokémon GBU Banned Chatot From Online Play

Why One Of The Weakest Pokémon Was Banned From Online Play

Chatot was introduced in Generation IV as a dual-type Normal and Flying Pokémon. Despite not being particularly strong - and certainly not Legendary or Mythical- Chatot was banned by the GBU from being used in battles. This decision was probably made due to its potentially controversial signature move, Chatter.

Chatter is a Flying-type move that deals damage and can confuse opponents. The potential problem with this move is that players who caught this Pokémon had the ability to record personalized audio through the Nintendo DS microphone. This audio was distorted by the game but would play as Chatot’s cry and each time it used Chatter. In addition to being a fun feature, recording audio for Chatter was further incentivized by its ability to strengthen the move. Chatots that did not have custom audio only had a 1% chance of confusing their opponent with Chatter, and louder recordings had higher possibilities of inflicting confusion.

Chatter, then, became a potentially problematic move to have available to Pokémon players, especially in public and online arenas. Although a unique and clever idea, it was possible for players to record inappropriate words or sounds for Chatot to use in battle, undoubtedly going against community guidelines. Even though Chatot is one of the weakest monsters in Pokémon, it was banned from online play in what remains one of the more interesting bans in the franchise’s history.

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