For nearly 20 years now, I, like many others, have wanted to be the very best. Like no one ever was. Catching them was my real test, and training them was my cause. On February 27, Pokémon will celebrate its 20th anniversary (commemorating the Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Green), which is mind-blowing to consider. What started as a simple Game Boy title back in 1996 has blossomed into a sprawling multimedia empire consisting of six generations of video games, anime, feature films, manga, trading cards, merchandise, and much, much more. (Still no Pokémon Snap sequel though. What the hell, Japan?) And now, some two decades in, the franchise is stronger than ever and poised to take over what precious little free time I still have.

This is the kind of fandom that inspires truly insane levels of devotion. Case in point: one man spent five years trying to catch a single shiny Pokémon. What’s even crazier though is the fan-fueled meta-narrative of the game, which takes the form of absolutely bonkers fan theories. These conspiracy theories are so out there, they’d make JFK truthers and ancient astronaut aficionados hang up their tin foil hats in the name of disbelief. And from the Great Kanto War to the mystery of Missingno and beyond, we’ve gotta examine ’em all! That’s why today’s episode of The Dan Cave is all about the craziest Pokémon fan theories ever told.

Which theory do you find most believable? What other theories do you find most compelling? Share them with us in the comments below, but be careful because Team Rocket is always watching.

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HT: Twinfinite, Mashable, Reddit, Dorkly

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about the Avengers and Star Wars. You can follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious). He chose Squirtle and never looked back.