Okay, I just saw this video and I’m dying! It’s a famous football coach trying to pronounce Pokemon names, and it’s a total disaster – in the best way possible. It’s going viral because he’s so energetic and funny while failing miserably. Honestly, as a Pokemon fan, it’s hilarious because everyone knows how hard those names are for people who aren’t into the game to say! Apparently, it happened while he was opening some Pokemon trading cards, which just makes it even better.
Over the past 30 years, the number of collectible Pokémon has expanded from the initial 151 to more than 1,000. Traditionally, the main Pokémon video games haven’t used voice acting, instead relying on text. This means players have to figure out how to pronounce the Pokémon names based on puns or words from other languages. Because there’s no official pronunciation guide within the games, fans often mispronounce names, stressing the wrong syllables.
Gruden’s Football Energy Meets Pocket Monsters
A recent video of former NFL coach Jon Gruden has gone viral, showing him opening packs of collectible trading cards – and his reactions are hilarious. Known for his energetic and intense personality – often nicknamed “Chucky” – Gruden brings the same passion he had on the football field to this new hobby. The video shows him visibly excited and even sweating as he tries to identify Pokémon like Rookidee, Larvitar, Escavalier, and Amoonguss, turning a simple card opening into a competitive event. Several of his attempts to read the card names have quickly become popular memes. For example, he confidently mispronounced Escavalier as “The S Cavalier” and struggled with Amoonguss, calling it both “Humongous” and “Amoonguss.” He asked his team to read names off a Rookidee card, then sighed when he learned it had an attack called “Peck.” His other reactions – shouting “I love that guy!” at a Larvitar, questioning if a card was “Golem,” pronouncing Klink as “Clink,” and calling a Nimbat “Nimby” – are just as funny.
Gruden isn’t the only gridiron standout to become notable in the community. New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams, formerly of the Detroit Lions, has become a viral legend among gamers and anime fans for his passionate defense of the franchise. Famously halting a post-game press conference back in 2024, Williams corrected a reporter who mispronounced the brand as “Pokeman.” In another hilarious clip, he recounts a story about a friend who tried to patronize him by intentionally calling various Pokemon by the completely wrong names. Williams goes on to list the ridiculous Pokemon names his friend used, such as calling Bulbasaur an “Onion Turtle.”
TopMob Quiz
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It’s not just football coaches who struggle with these names – the media has been mispronouncing them for years. A clip from a 1999 news report shows a British TV presenter completely butcher the name of the franchise’s most famous character. The report was actually about flashing lights causing health problems in Japan, but because the game wasn’t popular in the UK at the time, the BBC news anchor confidently called Pikachu “Pickoocho” on live TV. This highlights how unfamiliar the brand was to people outside of Japan back then.
The people who make the games understand that the names of Pokémon can be hard to say, especially for fans around the world. During the 2025 World Championships, they even posted a guide to help with pronunciation because so many people were saying the names wrong. The guide showed the correct way to say difficult Pokémon like Rayquaza (pronounced “RAY-KWAY-ZUH”), as well as Illumise, Farigiraf, Kingambit, and Drapion. It turns out even popular Pokémon like Ampharos, Numel, Vibrava, and Regice are often mispronounced.
Scratch & Peek 
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.
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It’s funny how often people mispronounce Pokémon names, even after years of playing! Common mistakes happen with well-known creatures like Rattata, Xatu, Hydreigon, and Suicune. Surprisingly, even the name of the powerful Pokémon Arceus is often said incorrectly – it’s actually pronounced “Ar-kee-iss,” not “Ar-see-us.” As long as the games don’t include full voice acting, these unusual names will likely continue to trip up players of all levels, including even professional athletes.
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2026-05-29 18:34