List of glitches in Generation III

This is a list of glitches in the Generation III Pokémon games.

Some glitches are found on separate pages:

Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen

Evolution move-learning script bug

If the player presses both A and B buttons during the same frame on the "Delete a move to make room for {move}?" message screen after their Pokémon evolves, the "Stop learning {move}?" message screen is loaded as a full black screen, making it invisible. The game behaves normally otherwise but the graphics are only properly reloaded after the player presses the A button.

In the Western localizations of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the red focus rectangle can be seen on the black screen. This does not occur in the Japanese versions or in any release of Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald since a black focus arrow is used instead.

This behavior is not seen in non-evolution scenarios because the games use other procedures for the move-learning sequence.[1]


By ChickasaurusGL


Held item loss glitch

If Kadabra, Machoke, Graveler, or Haunter is traded while holding any item, that Pokémon will evolve as expected, but its held item will be permanently lost.

This glitch also applies to Everstones. If any of these Pokémon is holding an Everstone when traded, it will still evolve, and the Everstone will be lost.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

256× item selling price bug

When selling at least 256 of an item, even though the Poké Mart states the correct price, for every 256, because the number sold only takes the lower byte, the total price is actually counted as $0, and the player loses $2560 for every multiple of 256 (just like tossing them). For example, selling 999 Berries gives $2310 (0 for 768, +2310 for 231). This is normally only possible with Berries because they are the only items that the player can hold more than 99 of in one Bag slot, although through cheating the bug can be performed with other items as well.


By ChickasaurusGL


Berry glitch

Main article: Berry glitch

This bug is exclusive to earlier copies of the games as it was fixed in Japanese and European versions 1.1 and in English versions 1.2.

Diploma bug

While checking for National Pokédex, the game doesn't properly check for ownership of Chikorita and Treecko; while Treecko is properly checked for the Hoenn Pokédex, Chikorita is not needed for the diploma.[2]


By ChickasaurusGL


Strain 0 Pokérus

Main article: Pokérus → Generation_III

In Ruby and Sapphire only,[3] X values of 0 and 8 do occur naturally, whereas in Pokémon Emerald onward, the RNG does not allow them to occur at all.

Strain 0 does not behave normally, as it only sets the value for "days until cured" to 1, it has no visual indication that a Pokémon is infected, does not boost the amount of EV the infected Pokémon receives, and leaves no trace of having been infected when cured, even permitting the previously infected Pokémon to be re-infected by Strain 0, or other non-glitched strains of Pokérus (X values 1 through 15). It cannot infect Pokémon already infected with Pokérus, or cured from a non-0 strain of Pokérus.

Strain 0 also persists through trade and transfer to other games, as long as the "days until cured" value does not fall from from 1 to 0 as a result of being in the player's party when the date changes or the internal clock passes midnight.

Yellow Scarf bug

In Japanese Ruby and Sapphire, a Pokémon with at least 200 points in the Smartness condition will be able to receive both the Green Scarf and Yellow Scarf (normally for having at least 200 points in Toughness) even if the Pokémon's Tough condition isn't high enough. For a Pokémon with only 200 points in Smartness, speaking to the Slateport City Pokémon Fan Club Chairman once would give out the Green Scarf and speaking to him again would give out the Yellow Scarf.


By ChickasaurusGL


Pokémon Emerald

Battle Tower cloning glitch

Main article: Cloning glitches#Generation III

Pomeg glitch

Main article: Pomeg glitch

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

All languages

Celadon City meeting location glitch

In the summary of any Pokémon met in Celadon City, the meeting location appears as "Celadon Department Store" if the player is currently in this store or as "Celadon City" if the player is anywhere other than this store.

For instance, this glitch affects the meeting location of the gift Eevee from the Celadon Condominiums, the Pokémon obtained as prizes from the Rocket Game Corner, and any Pokémon hatched in Celadon City.

English language

Opening sequence oversight

In English versions 1.0, the word "PRESENTS" is not shown in the Game Freak logo part of the opening sequence despite the graphics data being present in the ROM. This was fixed in English versions 1.1.

Pokédex category oversight

In the English version 1.0 release, if a Pokémon category has two words, the Pokédex will mistakenly only display the first word. For example, while Beedrill's category is "Poison Bee Pokémon", it is listed in-game as "Poison Pokémon". This is due to the game incorrectly treating a space in a category name as a terminator (a holdover from the Japanese versions of the Generation III games), even though the internal data has the same categories as in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. This was corrected in version 1.1 of the English versions, which is the one distributed in the Player's Choice release.

References


Multiple
generations
Transform glitchesGlitch TrainersCloning glitchesError messagesArbitrary code execution
Generation I GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
--0 ERRORBroken hidden itemsCable Club escape glitchDual-type damage misinformation
Experience underflow glitchFight Safari Zone Pokémon trickGlitch CityItem duplication glitchItem underflow
Mew glitchOld man glitchPewter Gym skip glitchPokémon merge glitchRhydon glitchRival twins glitch
Select glitches (dokokashira door glitch, second type glitch) • Super Glitch
Time Capsule exploitWalking through wallsZZAZZ glitch
Generation II GlitchesBattle glitches
Bug-Catching Contest glitchCelebi Egg glitchCoin Case glitchesExperience underflow glitch
Glitch dimensionGlitch EggTeru-samaTime Capsule exploitTrainer House glitchesGS Ball mail glitch
Generation III GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Berry glitchDive glitchPomeg glitchGlitzer Popping
Generation IV GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Acid rainGTS glitchesPomeg glitchRage glitch
Surf glitchTweakingPal Park Retire glitch
Generation V GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Frozen Zoroark glitchSky Drop glitch
Generation VI GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Lumiose City save glitchSymbiosis Eject Button glitchToxic sure-hit glitch
Generation VII GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitch
Generation VIII Glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitchParty item offset glitch
Generation IX Glitches
Glitch effects Game freezeGlitch battleGlitch song
Gen I only: Glitch screenTMTRAINER effectInverted sprite
Gen II only: Glitch dimension
Lists Glitches (GOMystery DungeonTCG GBSpin-off)
Glitch Pokémon (Gen IGen IIGen IIIGen IVGen VGen VIGen VIIGen VIII)
Glitch moves (Gen I) • Glitch types (Gen IGen II)


Project GlitchDex logo.png This glitch Pokémon article is part of Project GlitchDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on glitches in the Pokémon games.