So this has always been a bit of a question for me. As we all know, the games and the anime follow a different canon. So that begs the question, do pokemon really say their names, or do they more or less just emit their cries?

I know Pikachu's cry was swapped for its name, and they say their names in smash, but I'm more or less okay with writing that off as a nod to the anime. This is one of those things that has just never been consistent.