When you think of difficult games, Pokémon likely isn’t the first to come to mind. Despite its deep competitive scene, the main campaigns of Pokémon games have long been criticized for being too easy, especially in recent titles. To counter this, the fan community has devised various self-imposed challenges, with the Nuzlocke challenge being one of the most famous.
However, one challenge mode went above and beyond in terms of difficulty – the Super Kaizo IronMon challenge, which has only recently been conquered after over a year of grueling attempts by hundreds of players.
Created by streamer iateyourpie in 2024, the Super Kaizo IronMon challenge builds on the already brutal IronMon challenge. The original IronMon, introduced a few years earlier, added restrictions like randomized Pokémon encounters, increased levels for enemy trainers and wild Pokémon, and permanent “death” for any Pokémon that faints. It also limits players to one Pokémon catch or kill per route, eliminating the option of grinding for experience points in the wild.
From there, the Ultimate IronMon mode introduced even stricter rules, such as limiting the player to only six Pokémon in the entire game and not allowing the player to leave a Gym once they’ve entered. The Kaizo IronMon version took things even further, with a slew of additional constraints like requiring the player to use just one Pokémon at a time, banning certain helpful items, and severely limiting which Pokémon could be caught.
But Super Kaizo IronMon takes the difficulty to unimaginable heights. This mode requires a ROM patch that enhances the AI of trainers and gives Gym Leaders full teams of six Pokémon, making every battle even more intense. Players also must “pivot” to a new main Pokémon partway through the run, with strict rules governing how that Pokémon is chosen. And on top of that, additional areas in the game, like the Trick House in Pokémon Emerald or the Amity Square in Pokémon Platinum, have restrictions that add yet another layer of complexity.
Given all these insane restrictions, it’s no wonder that it took so long for anyone to finish the challenge. But in an incredible feat, streamer Reimi finally managed to conquer it after an astonishing 8,502 attempts. The victory, which took place in Pokémon FireRed, began with Reimi selecting a random starter Pokémon – Blissey, Krabby, or Weedle – a choice that proved pivotal for the early stages of the run. Blissey was the clear winner, becoming Reimi’s main fighter for the first half of the game.
As the challenge rules required Reimi to pivot to a new Pokémon halfway through the game, he chose a Crobat that evolved from a random Ivysaur. This Pokémon, nicknamed Heskey, carried Reimi through the remainder of the game. The final battle was nothing short of nerve-wracking. Reimi faced off against Blue with Heskey at level 90, armed with Earthquake, Sludge, Aerial Ace, and Thunderbolt. Despite some intense moments – including a tense battle with a Rayquaza that required careful strategy – Heskey emerged victorious, and Reimi became the first person ever to complete the Super Kaizo IronMon challenge.
So, what’s next for Reimi? As of the time of writing, he’s still playing the challenge, now with a Tentacruel named Squidward just outside of Viridian City. Reimi’s victory has shown that the challenge is possible, but given the insane difficulty, it’s unlikely that many others will follow in his footsteps anytime soon. iateyourpie’s warning – “This is not meant for everyone” – has never been more accurate.