What Does the Lock Symbol in the Pokemon Summary Mean in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?

In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, there’s admittedly a lot to be confused about. After all, it’s one of the first open world games in the franchise, so it’d be weird if there wasn’t a fair amount of confusion. But, one thing that has players scratching their heads is the existence of a mysterious padlock icon. It appears this icon is seen in the Pokemon summary, all the way to the right, next to the gender. What does this mean?

What Does the Lock Symbol Mean in Scarlet and Violet?

To be honest, the answer is … unclear, at best. Redditors on r/PokemonScarletViolet were curious about this very conundrum. It appears there are several possibilities:

• the lock icon is an unused asset left visible for some reason.
• it’s an indicator that said ‘mon can’t be released or traded.
• it’s an indicator that said ‘mon can’t be renamed.

Related: How to Rename Suprise Trade Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

If the first idea is correct, it would hardly be the most surprising thing about Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. But, and maybe it’s the youthful optimist in me, I want to believe the symbol means something. In the subreddit, one user claims they tested the third hypothesis. They claim to have acquired a foreign ‘mon, and while the icon was still dim, they were unable to rename it. So, as of writing, it would seem the most likely possibility is the second: the icon will light up when a ‘mon can’t be released or traded. If this is proven incorrect at any point in the future, we’ll update this piece accordingly.