Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about
August 9, 2020 9:43 AM   Subscribe

Here's Another Pokemon is a weekend column on Kotaku by Zack Zwiezen which explores interesting, unusual, and startling Pokedex entries (with a fair amount of assistance from Bulbapedia). Each entry discusses a different Pokemon at length, with random facts, personal observations, and highlighted fan art and comments.

Some examples:

Xatu Can See The Future And Is Scared Of It
- One entry simply stats “This odd Pokémon can see both the past and the future.” I would not use the word “odd” to describe a mythical creature who can actually see through time. I would also probably end the sentence with something like “Dear God, we must never anger this being.”

Bewear Will Crush You To Death With Its Hugs - Bears in real life are dangerous and can easily kill you. It seems in the Pokemon world this is true too. But unlike our bears, which will just bite and eat you, Bewear will actually hug you so hard you might die.

Spoink Will Die If It Ever Stops Bouncing
- Life is hard for Spoink. So many things they can’t do. Though I think they could get a hug. Catch them in the air, hug for a moment and then slam them back down.

Whimsicott Will Sneak Into Your Home And Move Your Furniture - It will also leave behind cotton balls sometimes, which doesn’t seem like a great prank. I feel like I have cotton balls in my home, but I don’t remember buying them. They just exist. So maybe Whimsicott has already pranked me?

Stantler Pulls Santa's Sleigh And Has Magical Antlers That Warp Reality - Imagine going out to hunt Pokemon and having to deal with deer that can create magical illusions, bears that will hug you to death and toads that will stab and poison you with deadly fingers. Hunting probably isn’t a popular hobby in the Pokemon universe.

It's also worth reading the comments of these posts, particularly those of Pokemon superfan MegaBlastoise, who typically adds additional factoids and commentary.
posted by May Kasahara (7 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
I really like the one for Spiritomb, Spiritomb Is Just 108 Angry Ghosts Trapped In A Rock. I agree that it's very un-Pokemon-like--it's like the artist started to do a Joker Pokemon (Jokermon?) and about halfway through just decided to Bill Sienkiewicz it. I disagree about people not wanting to catch it; it's freaky-fun in its semi-abstractness.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:59 AM on August 9, 2020 [1 favorite]


I really like the one for Spiritomb, Spiritomb Is Just 108 Angry Ghosts Trapped In A Rock. I agree that it's very un-Pokemon-like--it's like the artist started to do a Joker Pokemon (Jokermon?) and about halfway through just decided to Bill Sienkiewicz it.

This one, like a lot of the other Pokemon that seem inexplicable to Western audiences, is actually rooted in Eastern literature and folklore:

To be precise, Spiritomb is made up of 108 spirits, a number with several relevant meanings. Water Margin, one of China's most treasured pieces of classic literature, begins when an army marshal accidentally unleashes 108 malevolent spirits from a stone monument. Centuries later, 108 outlaws - presumably reincarnated from the spirits - become heroic defenders of China against invaders. Meanwhile, in Japan, Buddhism recognizes a set of 108 temptations a soul must overcome to find Nirvana, and a bell is traditionally rung 108 times on New Year's Eve to drive them away.
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:20 AM on August 9, 2020 [7 favorites]


These seem to start in February of last year: https://kotaku.com/croagunk-will-stab-you-with-his-poison-fingers-1832826089. I am sad that there doesn't seem to be a link that lets you read all of these in a blog-like format.
posted by 3j0hn at 11:21 AM on August 9, 2020 [2 favorites]




I'm loving all of these but holy hell Spoink's Bucket List is the best.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:15 PM on August 10, 2020


In recent WTF-is-that-thing additions to PoGo: Behayem is, um, kinda penisey?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:16 PM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]


The first form is Elgyem for LGM, Little Green Men. The evolved form is Beheeyem for BEM, Bug-eyed Monster. But it looks like the artists decided on a one-eyed monster instead.
posted by team lowkey at 9:20 PM on August 11, 2020 [2 favorites]


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