Nuzlocke

The Nuzlocke challenge is a self-imposed fan-made gameplay formula designed to make video games in the Pokémon series more difficult. Players using the Nuzlocke challenge are unable to use their Pokémon again if they are knocked out in combat once and can only add the first Pokémon they encounter in a select area to their team.

The Nuzlocke challenge was created by Nick Franco when he was a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. While procrastinating on an assignment, Franco decided to play Pokémon Ruby with a harder ruleset to make it more interesting. He created a webcomic based on the playthrough, dubbed Pokémon: Hard-Mode. A recurring Nuzleaf character, who resembled Lost character John Locke, resulted in the Nuzlocke challenge's name, being a portmanteau of Nuzleaf and Locke.

It has proven popular with players due to its focus on building emotional attachments with the player's Pokémon, as well as for the added challenge it provides. The Nuzlocke challenge is also popular with content creators online, attracting wide followings within the Pokémon fan community. Former Nintendo Minute hosts Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, following their departure from the series, stated that they had been forbidden by The Pokémon Company from using Nuzlocke rules in a video. This resulted in fandom backlash, resulting in the company making a statement clarifying the situation. The Nuzlocke challenge has been adapted into other video games since its introduction.