Science has once again helped decide a very serious Pokémon question: which of the fully-evolved original Kanto Pokémon starters has the most powerful finishing move? Recent research conducted by Thomas Codd for the student-run Journal of Interdisciplinary Science Topics puts hard facts to this fictional universe.
Codd started by only using data of the three fully evolved starters–Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard. One by one, he calculated the individual power of their signature moves based on the anime and original video games–Red, Blue, and Yellow. Venusaur’s power was judged by its super destructive sun-gathering move, Solar Beam. Although it takes an entire turn in the games to absorb the necessary amount of light, it’s well worth the wait. It was determined to produce a whopping energy output of 194,000 joules, like the energy stored inside a car barreling down the highway.
Next, Blastoise’s aquatic finisher, Hydro Pump, was analyzed with special attention to its two shoulder cannons. Codd determined that each cannon shoots out 206.4 kilograms (455 pounds) of water per second during at apex of the pump. Moving that much water equals an energy output of 386,000 joules.
Finally, Charizard’s Flamethrower rounded out the research. The main point of interest for Codd came from an episode which aired in the U.S. in 2003 titled “Can’t Beat the Heat!” In it Ash’s Chaizard faced off against Gary’s Blastoise at the last round of the Johto League Silver Conference. Charizard’s Flamethrower melted the entire battlefield, steaming up the place, which allowed Ash the chance to call out a winning Seismic Toss. Based on game data and this episode, Flamethrower won the title of strongest offensive move from all of the evolved starters–it produced an output a thousand times more power than a lightning bolt: 2.62 x 1012 joules.
Are you astonished by the results? Care to share your thoughts about other starters of Pokémon? Let us know below!
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HT: Thomas Codd; The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, University of Leicester
Image credit: itsbirdy
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