Ahead of the release of Pokémon Legends Arceus (PLA), Players all over the world were excited to see Lucario entering the frame for a few moments in a newly released animated video about Bidoof titled “Bidoof's Big Stand.” But what unfolded next left many fans in a perplexed state, pondering whether the Fighting/Steel-type has become weaker somewhat. Now all sorts of theories are emerging about what this might mean for encountering and battling Lucario in the upcoming Sinnoh origin story. Watch the Bidoof short below and see if you can spot what has sent players scratching their heads.

Bidoof's Big Stand video features Lucario and Staraptor

While Lucario only appears for a brief moment in the new animation, part of the promotional materials for Legends Arceus, the powerful Pokémon made quite the blunder. A little over two minutes into the short clip, Lucario unleashes his Aura Sphere—and completely misses. Now, abilities swerving wide off the mark isn't something unusual in the Pokémon franchise, but seasoned players will know that it is definitely out of the ordinary for Aura Sphere.

Per the official description, this attack never misses. This does not mean 100% accuracy, but rather that Aura Sphere does not have an accuracy rate. This entails that other conditions, like a lowered accuracy stat or Sandstorm weather, will not affect the move; it should still never fail.

Pokémon community speculates on missed Aura Sphere

On Reddit, Yserros pointed out the weird scenario, saying “I'm wondering how this Lucario managed to miss [an] Aura Sphere?” The now-viral post has sparked all sorts of guesses to arise about what it all means. Of course, the simple possibility may be that it has no bearing on the game. The animators could have just made a mistake. But could they have been this negligent about the content released?

Others, meanwhile, interpreted it as Aura Sphere possibly receiving a nerf in Pokémon Legends Arceus. Depending on how you look at it, the change could prove beneficial for players worried about Lucario beating them up in-game. (Yes, in the new open-world RPG, some Pokémon can directly attack trainers in boss battles.) On the other hand, for fans who want to include Lucario on their team, they probably wouldn't feel so pleased to learn that the move, which previously never failed, now has a chance of missing.

The change would not be unprecedented, either, as other leaks have claimed that two Pokémon moves—Hidden Power and Judgment—will be getting buffs in PLA. Still, other explanations may also be possible. Some players have suggested that Staraptor may have used Detect, a move it can learn through breeding but not normally by leveling up, to protect against the attack. But then, wouldn't the animation have shown the attack getting deflected or blocked, rather than flying over everyone's heads?

Another user pointed out that it might not be Aura Sphere, but Focus Blast. In the games, the move appears as a yellow blare of energy, with a red background. However, in the anime, Lucario's Focus Blast glows bright blue—and we all know how frequently that attack can miss. In response to that, another member joked, “The question then becomes: how did it almost hit?”

Whatever the case, players will still definitely be excited to encounter Lucario in Hisui. The new video seems to have served its purpose in driving up the hype for Pokémon Legends Arceus—even if it had to do so in a rather unorthodox way.