In recent years, with a lot of Beta content surfacing, there's been a lot of interest in where Pokemon designs originated from and the design process that led to the finalized designs we have today.
Of course today, everyone knows the obvious ones - Nidoking is based on Baragon, Sableye on the Hopkinsville Goblin, etc. With that in mind, what obscure theories have you seen for where Pokemon come from? Do you have any theories of your own?
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One that I've seen go relatively undiscussed is how Gligar seems to be heavily derived from Dragon Quest's Waspion and Gremlin.
There was an interview where the devs literally said what every gen 5 mon was based on, spoiler almost all of them are based on japan.
>purrloin line is based on doronjo
>timburr line is inspired by japanese construction workers and the tobi trousers they would wear
etc
>gen 5 is america
>every pokemon based on japan
but why?
Japanese devs
I almost thought this was supposed to be one of those fucking """leaks""" that is actually just a bunch of images ripped off google in a pokedex sheet. So glad it's just casual inspiration theorizing.
Hmmm, I can see it. It's got the same eye markings and head shape. You can even see that the tan fur looks like "skin" under a bodysuit.
I mean it's more than just the mons, there are tons of places and random stuff in unova based on Japan.
>the lass and preschoolers all wear japanese school uniforms
>the entralink is based on the tokyo imperial palace
>the abyssal ruins are based on the yonaguni monument
>the skyarrow bridge is partially based on the tokyo rainbow bridge
etc
Although the rest of the unova bridges are all based on random places in europe.
Everyone knows the Poli- line is based on frogs, but takes for granted that they don't actually look much like frogs at all. But I've got a theory that they're actually based on Matsumoto Hori's woodblock prints of frogs, which have the same big white belly and round body that the Poli-'s have
>onix is just goldon without legs
based gen 1?
>Kame Bazooka is Blastoise
I don't think I would have thought of that but it's interesting
One of my favorite bits of fan work is a column discussing the design inspirations and origins of specific Pokemon, and breaking down what . Granted this is also the same column that had the infamous "Absol is based on a cow" meme, but most of the articles are worth a read. If you like mythology, animals, cultures or whatever, check it out.
bulbanews.bulbagarden.net
I think that one's a little questionable but the way it burrows makes me believe it a little more
I feel like a lot of western attempts to understand Pokemon try to dig into Japanese mythology as an inspiration, as opposed to Japanese pop culture. So they'll dig into stuff like "Slowbro is this specific yokai" but miss the design queues it takes from Yadokarin.
I remember posting this one maybe a week ago. Nice to see somebody else sharing
Glad we're doing another thread on this. And it's not hopefully going to be flooded with people trying to defend Bulbapedia instead of having an actual good conversation about this stuff
>And it's not hopefully going to be flooded with people trying to defend Bulbapedia instead of having an actual good conversation about this stuff
I see you were in that thread too. It's unfortunate but a lot of threads discussing Pokemon inspirations tend to devolve into some degree of shitflinging.
That's a good point. It's better getting the thoughts of someone who knows their culture better than someone who doesn't.
makes sense
Doduo is a kiwi with a naked neck, not a dodo. Nothing about it is dodo besides the name. The pidgey line are also osprey
Well, that isn't discussed about since the American Pokemon fans do not know the Japanese culture. You can learn Japanese and find the information for yourself. I will share some with you.
