Gen 2 Pokemon's Most Mysterious Move Explained

World Pokemon has grown after introducing nine generations filled with countless species, moves and mechanics that have all contributed to its enduring charm. Of all of them Pokemon moves, however, only one of them ever held the classification of type ??? and a unique mechanic unlike any other. While it may have since become a Ghost type, the move known as Curse still stands as an example of a mysterious part of the franchise's history with a connection to the hidden lore of the clipped Pokémon.

Introduced in Generation 2, Curse is a move that initially stands out for its different typing and dual effect depending on its user. The origins of Curse and its bizarre effects, which exist in a strange limbo between attacking, status, and stat boosts, can be traced back to the existence of the beta version. Gold and silver A Pokemon known as Norowara that was probably removed because it was too dark and mature for the franchise.

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Curse's bizarre effects defy Pokemon standards

Noroi Dynamic

The only move that can be affected by its user's type, Curse is a damaging move when used by Ghost-type Pokémon. This move cuts HP in half and then causes the opponent to subsequently lose a quarter of their HP per round, which seems to embody the concept of a terrifying ritual sacrifice that then causes the victim to suffer over time. This is accompanied by an animation reminiscent of hammering a nail into an opponent, a visual motif that would make even more sense in the context of the obvious inspiration from the creepy Norowara dolls.

If the user is not Ghost-type, Curse will instead reduce the user's speed by one stage while increasing their attack and defense stats by one stage, leading to a popular attacking strategy for Normal-type Pokemon. One might assume that this unique effect represents a lack of ghost abilities, but it's actually a play on the Japanese name for the move, Noroi. The word can be a synonym that means both “curse” and “boring” or “slow” in the language, so this version of the move is unrelated to the original concept.

Norowara and her ambitious evolution method were probably too dark for Pokemon

Pokemon based on a sacrificial doll is a tough sell to a younger audience

Reportedly, Norowar's design would consist of a simple doll impaled with a pin, evoking traditional magic and ritual practices associated with curses. There were also apparently gameplay mechanics tied to the concept of sacrifice, with Norowara only being able to learn the move Curse unless it progressed into its evolution, Kyonpan, a Jiangshi-inspired Pokemon. This is due to the fact that Curse would be learned at max level 100, leaving Norowara in her base form after rejecting the evolution with each level.

Not only does this appear to be a highly esoteric game concept aimed at a young audience, but it also pushes the boundaries of content in a series that has already suffered from controversy due to aspects such as Kadabra's magic-inspired design.

Norowara lives on Through the curse and the Banette Line

It's not necessarily surprising that Norowara never made it Pokemon Gold and Silver officially, but his legacy lives on in the Curse move and Ghost-type pokemon that coped in memorable ways after his morbidity. Generation 3's Shuppet and Banette draw on the same themes by depicting haunted toys while Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Greavard features a surprisingly dark backstory regarding its status as the spirit of a sick and neglected dog Pokémon. Curse represents the dark side of the franchise to this day, and yet the possibility remains that an idea like Norowara could resurface.