Random Dark Things Going On In The Pokémon Manga That The Anime Skipped Right Over (16 items)

(#4) The Elite Four's Pryce Has No Problem With Killing Children

The Pokémon manga is full of attempted child-murder at the hands of misguided adults, proving that it's not just what's lurking in the tall grass that young trainers have to be wary of. During Gold and Silver, Elite Four member Pryce makes a (secret) return disguised as Team Rocket's new leader - the "Masked Man," and proves he's still out for blood.

As he confronts Gold and Silver at the Lake of Rage, he manages to freeze the entire lake and snatches victory by sending both trainers to fall to their doom at the bottom. They're saved only by the surprise arrival of Entei.
(#6) Most Of The Protagonists Suffer Terrible Fates

The Pokémon world is a dangerous place, and though death is a clear part of life there, there are far more disturbing ways for a trainer to suffer. At the end of the Black and White arc, Black ends up being sealed into the Light Stone along with the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram while villain Ghetis is still at large.

Before this, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Silver are all turned to stone during the conclusion of FireRed and LeafGreen, with villain Sird able to escape. What's with all these unhappy endings, Pokémon manga writers?
(#9) Gym Leader Koga Uses His Grimer To Choke People

The trainers in the manga are a lot more physically-involved in fights than they are in the games or anime. Often, this leads to them getting just as injured as their battling monster companions.

Koga, for instance, uses his Grimer in a deviously creative way. Most of the time, it covers his shoulder, disguised to look like part of his ninja-inspired outfit. In a match with Red, however, he sends it out to suffocate the young trainer, as well as prevent him from calling on his Pokémon.
(#3) There Have Been Pokémon Zombies In Lavender Town

As a villainous Gym Leader and Giovanni's Number Two, Koga proves himself to be a blood-thirsty adversary, and he very nearly kills Red on a few occasions. One of these occasions was during their showdown at Lavender Town.

If you think that town wasn't already creepy enough with the tower full of Poké-graves, imagine how much worse it would be if those deceased Pokémon suddenly started punching their way out of their resting places? That's exactly how Koga goes after Red - using the psychic powers of a Gastly to turn Lavender Town into Silent Hill.
(#10) The Climax Of 'Ruby And Sapphire' Is Filled With Violence

If the downer endings of Black and White and FireRed and LeafGreen weren't enough, the dramatic conclusion of Ruby and Sapphire is thoroughly depressing.

With Norman, Courtney, and Steven dead (yes - dead), it's up to Wallace to step up and take on the deranged Team Magma and Aqua leaders, Maxie and Archie. Though he starts off strong, once Wallace discovers that Winona is their prisoner, he gives up - leading to a severe and hugely disappointing defeat.
(#12) Team Rocket Fuse The Three Legendary Birds Into One Big Bird Monster

This monstrosity, named "Thu-Fi-Zer," was created by Team Rocket fusing the three Legendary Bird Pokémon from the Kanto region - Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. They previously tried out this mad science experiment on an unfortunate Eevee, nicknamed "Vee," causing the Pokémon to be able to switch between Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon at will.

Unsurprisingly, this freaky fusion was incredibly strong. It took Red, Blue, Green, and a mid-battle evolution from Red's Ivysaur to defeat it and force the trio to separate.