Chimecho, a Pokemon from Generation 3, has sparked an intriguing theory among Pokemon enthusiasts. The buzz suggests that Chimecho might have been a scrapped design that was brought back into the game during the final stages of development. This theory is compellingly supported by evidence showing that Chimecho’s index number in the game files doesn’t align with its sequential position in the Hoenn Pokedex.
Introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Chimecho is aptly dubbed the Wind Chime Pokemon, owing to its resemblance to the Japanese glass wind chime, “fūrin.” This all-white, purely Psychic-type Pokemon received a pre-evolution, Chingling, later in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Fans of the Pokemon anime might recall how Team Rocket’s James adored his Chimecho, refusing to let it engage in battles. The most recent game appearance for both Chimecho and Chingling was in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s expansion, The Teal Mask.
Despite being a fairly common Pokemon, some trainers speculated about a different origin story for Chimecho. Over on Reddit’s r/pokemon, user StaySuspicious4370 launched a discussion proposing that Chimecho was initially cut from early builds of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, only to be reintroduced later for reasons that remain a mystery. This claim references the notable 2024 Teraleak, which hinted at these early development developments.
The debate on Chimecho’s developmental history piqued curiosity when StaySuspicious4370 explained how index and Pokedex order numbers can offer insight into if a Pokemon was a late addition. In the case of Chimecho, its index number positioned it at the tail end of known Hoenn Pokemon, rather than adjacent to its batch mates Tropius and Absol in Ruby and Sapphire.
While the decision behind Chimecho’s delayed inclusion remains unresolved, some fans on Reddit speculated that it might have originally been considered for a Mythical Pokemon designation. A particular theory posited that Chimecho’s design might have had connections to Jirachi, given its visual similarity to Jirachi’s celestial wish tags.
Even though Chimecho doesn’t bear the Mythical title, it maintains its status as an elusive Psychic-type that can be easily overlooked by trainers exploring the wilderness. With the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A anticipated in late 2025, fans are eager to see if Chimecho will join other familiar Hoenn species in Lumiose City.
