Japanese fans playing Pokémon Legends ZA noticed a sporadic mention of purchasing Pikachu. However, the English-language translation of the game adapts the dialogue and instead simply refers to Pikachu experiencing “tummy troubles”.
According to Machine“Pikachu’s Poop” briefly gained popularity on X among some Japanese users after discovering an NPC from Lumiose City mentioning that their Pokémon was unwell. “I’m worried that Pikachu is pooping more often than usual,” the character reportedly says.
There is no further dialogue, leaving players with no further details about Pikachu’s bowel habits. Nevertheless, the mention is noteworthy considering how rarely Pokémon even mentions these creatures’ need to poop.
Pikachu poop pic.twitter.com/rVetTHbftA
— Teso (@teso_026) October 15, 2025
The Pokémon series sometimes mentions Pokémon excrement, suggesting that the excrement of some species makes good fertilizer (Diglett), while the excrement of other species can be dangerously explosive (Turtonator). My favorite Pokédex mentions the Fire-type creature Darumaka whose “excrement is hot, so people put it in their clothes to keep warm.” Lovely.
But let’s get back to Pikachu and the English translation of the above scene in Pokémon Legends: ZA. As noted by IGN, the explicit mention of poop has been replaced with the following dialogue: “My Pikachu has been having tummy troubles lately. I’m worried…”
The English dialogue feels like a sanctioned take on the game’s original script, although it fits in with a franchise about wild creatures who try to avoid the less family-friendly aspects of their lives whenever possible. Breeding, death, and Pokémon eating other Pokémon as food are canon throughout the series – although it’s increasingly sporadic to hear references to these elements in games or anime from the series.
This morning, IGN reported on a viral post discussing whether Pokémon can eat human food without suffering severe indigestion from being able to take photos of your in-game character with their Pokémon hanging out in cafes. And for news of various kinds of leaks, here’s the latest from this week on unannounced Pokémon projects – most of which have now been removed from social media due to copyright notices.
If you’ve already purchased Pokémon Legends ZA and are wondering which Pokémon to choose to start with, check out our tips on choosing between the three game starters. If you jump into Pokemon Legends ZA, select your starting Pokemon, then check out our Pokemon Legends: ZA in progress guide and our list of side missions to make sure you don’t miss anything. We also have the Pokemon Legends: ZA Pokedex and, most importantly, a guide to all the clothing stores and clothes in Pokemon Legends: ZA, so you can catch them all in style.
There’s also IGN Pokémon Legends: ZA review in progresswhere some early thoughts were shared. Our full review will appear next week.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
