Pokémon fans are well acquainted with the Dynamax phenomenon by now, a mechanic that was introduced in Sword and Shield and Pokémon Journeys which allows Pokémon to grow to gargantuan sizes. However, long before Dynamax was even a concept being kicked around at Game Freak, the anime had debuted something shockingly similar.

With over 1,200 episodes under its belt, it's not too shocking to hear that the anime has come up with some similar ideas to those that would eventually be introduced in the games. The Orange Islands arc of the Pokémon anime, for example, introduced the concept of regional variations for Pokémon, depending on climate and other factors, and that eventually became a reality in Sun and Moon, and is now a regular fixture of the franchise, with regional variants seen in all recent titles. The same happens to be true of Dynamax, which was foreshadowed in the early episode "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis."

Giant Pokémon Battles Predate Dynamax

These Kaiju-sized Monsters Aren't Fit for Pockets Anymore

In the aforementioned episode, Ash and friends stumble across an excavation site for the ancient city of Pokémopolis, where they accidentally uncover a valuable artifact. While there, the group is warned that there's a prophecy stating two great powers of destruction will do battle, with no human able to stop them. Team Rocket, up to no good, find an artifact as well, but are soon absorbed into it. The artifact continues absorbing people until nearly all the archaeologists are gone, and a gigantic Gengar has emerged from the artifact. Brock attempts to stop it, but his Onix is absorbed also.

Meanwhile, one of the few remaining archaeologists inserts one spoon-like artifact into another like a key, summoning an enormous Alakazam. Both it and the Gengar have unusual markings, and immediately begin to do battle without regard for their surroundings. The giant Pokémon prove impossible to catch with ordinary Poké Balls, and their battle could soon destroy a huge area--possibly even the entire planet. Jigglypuff tries to put them to sleep, but fails; instead, its song causes a bell-like artifact to glow, releasing a giant Jigglypuff.

The giant Jigglypuff disrupts the battle by singing, putting everyone, including the two combatant Pokémon, to sleep. By the time everyone wakes up, the giant Pokémon have disappeared, and everyone who was absorbed by Gengar has been freed.

The Long History of Giant Pokémon

Giant Pokémon Have Long Been Part of the Anime

It's no secret that many Pokémon are inspired by Japanese Kaiju, massive movie monsters like Godzilla and Mothra. The idea of a giant Pokémon battle must have seemed like a fairly obvious choice to the writers of the original anime, prompting the creation of this episode. Dynamax was allegedly inspired by the Giant's Causeway in the UK, Galar's inspiration, and the desire to use the larger screens that Nintendo Switches could connect to as thoroughly as possible.

The battle between Gengar and Alakazam is quite similar to a Dynamax battle, with the two giant Pokémon firing powerful moves at one another which cause devastation should they miss. While it's not clear if the ancient Pokémon in this episode were always so huge, or only grew to be so huge temporarily, Dynamax is always a temporary change. One can't help but wonder if, perhaps, Pokémopolis might also have been affected by the same Galar particles that cause Dynamax; perhaps the prophecy is an indicator of Pokémopolis's own Darkest Day.

While this battle is the most similar to Dynamax, Giant Pokémon have long been part of the anime, with the first appearing way back in "Mystery at the Lighthouse," in which a giant Dragonite appears, while a massive Tentacruel appears not long after in "Tentacool and Tentacruel." There are also some episodes where ordinary Pokémon grow giant-sized, usually due to experiments that went awry. It's clear that the idea of turning "Pocket Monsters" into goliathan forms has long been an intrinsic part of Pokémon--even long before Dynamax.