Meltan and its evolved form, Melmetal, have caused quite a stir amongst Pokémon devotees since they were first introduced in Pokémon GO. But it's not Meltan's Mythical status, or the fact that it's revelation was through a Ditto-deception, or the 400 candies required to evolve it into Melmetal that have divided the Pokémon community. No, fans are split on a seemingly simple question: where exactly do Meltan and Melmetal belong within the Pokémon generations?
There are a few points of contention to consider. First, there's the question of whether or not Pokémon Go and Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee fall within Generation VII, or if either can even be considered as part of the main series. Then, there is debate over whether data or marketing materials constitute absolute proof in regards to Pokémon.
Without an answer forthcoming from The Pokémon Company, fans must determine what constitutes a Generation in the first place. Because Pokémon Go released months before Pokémon Sun and Moon introduced the Alola region, it exists somewhere between Generations VI and VII. Plus, Go is a mobile game using AR, so it's not technically within any region. In a way, its region is our own world.
Similarly, the Let's Go games are widely agreed to be Gen VII games, but their presence on the Nintendo Switch has led some to argue that they are part of Gen VIII. Plus, they take place in Gen I's Kanto Region. This makes placing Meltan and Melmetal in a Generation all the more confusing. They aren't from Alola and they definitely aren't native to Kanto.
There are even more wrinkles to this mystery as described by Joe Merrick, the webmaster of Serebii.net. On this Twitter thread responding to the controversy, Merrick points out that, in the code, Meltan and Melmetal are indexed under Gen VII with the index numbers of 891 and 892, respectively. Merrick also notes in a post on his site that each Generational index number begins with an 01. Gen VII began at 801, and Gen VIII at 901. Meltan not only falls under the Generation VII column, but within the number range that constitutes Gen VII. If the Pokémon Company wanted Meltan to be a part of the Gen VIII 'Mon's, then why not begin their number at 901 or within the 901 indexing?
Then, of course, there's the issue of marketing. As they were revealed long before Pokémon Sword and Shield and the Galar Region were announced, Meltan and Melmetal were promoted alongside Gen VII Pokémon. However, an image from a mistakenly uploaded video for Pokémon Korea's upcoming Pokémon Day celebration clearly shows the two amongst their (possible) Gen VIII brethren.
This is where the real contention starts. Are those who believe that the code is absolute like Merrick right, or are those who look to marketing for answers onto something? It's hard to say, but The Pokémon Company recently had a chance to clear up this mess once and for all.
There was some hope that with the release of The Pokémon Company's new cloud based service, Pokémon Home, fans would finally have a definitive answer to the question of whether Meltan and Melmetal belonged in Generation VII or Generation VIII. The service sorts Pokémon by region, so surely Meltan and Melmetal would have to be placed with the 'Mons from Gen VII's Alola or Gen VIII's Galar, right?
Unfortunately, no such answer has been given. Meltan has been classified as "Unknown Origins" in the Home's Pokédex, leaving fans to continue squabbling over where exactly this cuddly metal head really belongs.
This debate doesn't look to be dying out any time soon, and that's probably the way The Pokémon Company likes it. Meltan's "Unknown Origins" fitting in nicely into its canonical lore of being an ancient Pokémon unseen for thousands of years. Plus, there is something marketable about leaving Meltan in flux. The Pokémon was teased in what looked at the time to be a leak, only to be officially revealed in a video days later, so it's clear The Pokémon Company always wanted it to go viral.
When considering the thrall that Mew held over children's lunchtime conversations 20 years ago or the depths with which people went to figure out Missingno, it is understandable why The Pokémon Company would want to recreate such a phenomenon. There may never be an official answer, and that's exactly what will keep fans engaged as they continue to rage on Twitter and sift through the crumbs left in the code and promotional materials alike.