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Fridge Brilliance
New mons
- The starters' final evolutions are heavily inspired by things stemming from Britain:
- Cinderace is inspired by football players. From Scorbunny on, each evolution has a football (soccer) player motif.
- Inteleon is a play on the words "intelligence"note and "chameleon". Not only is Intelleon a spy that blends into its environment, but its initial form Sobble's number in the Galar Pokédex just happens to be 007note .
- Rillaboom is a musician, with the British being famous for The British Invasion in the 20th century, including such bands as The Monkees and The Beatles, with this era as being the time in which drummers came into further importance in particular.
- Also, since Rillaboom is a musical gorilla, another source of inspiration was most likely Gorillaz, a band also led by a British musiciannote .
- Not to mention the fact that there exists an ad by Cadbury featuring a gorilla drumming along to Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight.
- And the fact that it's a drum-playing gorilla in a Nintendo game, much like Donkey Kong, and the modern, drum-playing DK we're all familiar with was created by Rare, a British company.
- Yamper is associated with challenges with Wooloo because the breed they are based on, corgis, were used to herd sheep in real-life England. Also, Corgis in general are big in England, as seen with the Royal Corgis
.- Its evolution, Boltund, is based on another British breed, the English Greyhound. Just like the corgi, greyhounds were often favored by the British royal family; in fact, Henry VIII had many pet greyhounds that he loved immensely. Greyhounds are nowadays mostly used in the sport of greyhound racing, which explains why Boltund is an Electric-type, as electricity is associated with high speed.
- The Dreepy line is partially Ghost-type. It's based on the B-2 Spirit. This also makes them immune to basic impact damage, so Dreepy can physically slam into a target with any amount of kinetic force and it would never be fatal — which is really useful when they get launched by Dragapults at high speed. Granted, the hardest slam would still probably end up being uncomfortable for it.
- The genderless Polteageist have no need for biological reproductive systems, since they multiply by infesting used teacups.
- And of course the region based on Great Britain has a Pokémon line based on tea.
- Why does Milcery require you to spin instead of itself learning the move Rapid Spin? Because you're whipping it into a meringue, aka its evolution Alcremie!
- Why is Orbeetle a Bug/Psychic ladybug? Ladybugs are purported to be able to predict harsh winter several days in advance. This also explains why you can find a Very Strong Orbeetle in the overworld of the Wild Area during Blizzard weather.
- Cufant and Copperajah:
- Their presence in Galar alludes to India's status as a major British colony from 1612 to 1947.
- Likewise, their bold colors and intricate patterns draw on centuries of Orientalist-tinged depictions of India during that time period.
- Despite being named and colored after copper, they have some green on them. This green is patina, a layer of oxidized copper that forms on the surface after long enough weathering.
- Their presence in Galar alludes to India's status as a major British colony from 1612 to 1947
- The Rolycoly line's vehicular theming seems to be lost upon becoming Coalossal. However, a close look at its head reveals that it's shaped like a cowcatcher, like the kinds you'd find on old-timey steam engines.
- In addition, Coalossal has a vaguely saurian appearance. Coal is considered a fossil fuel.
- Snom and Frosmoth have a 4x weakness to Fire. This makes a lot of sense once you realize Frosmoth is based on a moth, an animal that is known for flying into light sources such as flames (and often dying in the process).
- Many fans have pointed out that Hatenna and especially Falinks resemble Kirby characters. Well, it turns out that James Turner, the art director for Sword and Shield, is a big fan of Kirby, so perhaps he was inspired by Kirby when designing or helping design Hatenna and Falinks.
- Why does Falinks learn First Impression, a Bug-type attack, by level up? Because a Falinks marching in formation looks like an enormous caterpillar or centipede before you realize what it actually is! The literal first impression it gives is of being an enormous insect.
- It could also be a reference to ranged troops in a phalanx, who would tend to attack first before retreating behind the armored troops. A first powerful attack.
- As for its lack of gender, the answer lies when you think of it less as an "it", but rather as a "they".
- Why is Eternatus Poison-type? Well, it radiates a tremendous amount of energy that is known to turn Pokémon into giant rampaging monsters, it can unleash devastating energy attacks, Chairman Rose attempted to harness that energy as a nearly-inexhaustible power source, and feeding it too much material caused it to turn incredibly destructive — it went critical, so to speak. Sound familiar? Now consider that the effects of overexposure to nuclear radiation in real life are known as radiation poisoning.
- In addition, after it's captured, it actually manages to provide Galar with the solution to the energy crisis Rose was looking for by supercharging the region with its energy. Nuclear energy, when properly controlled and contained (not by someone as impatient as Chairman Rose) is perhaps one of the most efficient low-carbon energy sources, producing far more energy than any fossil fuel. The message seems to be less "nuclear energy is bad" and more "nuclear energy needs to be used with patience and care in order to be an effective and eco-friendly energy source."
- In addition, after it's captured, it actually manages to provide Galar with the solution to the energy crisis Rose was looking for by supercharging the region with its energy. Nuclear energy, when properly controlled and contained (not by someone as impatient as Chairman Rose) is perhaps one of the most efficient low-carbon energy sources, producing far more energy than any fossil fuel
- The Galarian Fossils:
- Given the fact the Piltdown Man, a "fossil" created by slapping an orangutan jaw onto a human skull, was the brainchild of a British archaeologist and was only accepted by British scientists out of national pride and arguably xenophobic collective narcissism, it makes perfect sense for the region based on the UK to be the one whose "Fossil Pokémon" are Mix-and-Match Critters.
- Cara Liss explains that, for some reason, Galar only produces fossils that can only be resurrected as half a creature, which is why she decides to mix and match them into the abominations that are the Galarian fossil Pokémon. However, the other regions don't seem to have a problem resurrecting entire Pokémon from far less fossilized material than is present in the Galarian fossils; Anorith, for instance, can be revived from a single claw, and a full Archen can be restored from just one feather. Then again, the other regions have laboratories with cutting-edge technology staffed by full-time researchers, and even Alola has a guy who's likely devoted his life to bringing back prehistoric Pokémon and as such knows the process inside and out. All Galar has is a ramshackle machine out in the middle of nowhere built by a woman who may or may not have any idea what she's even doing. Hypothetically, it may be fully possible to get a full Pokémon out of a single Galar fossil; the region just doesn't have the means to do it.
- Additionally, the combined weight of Arctozolt and Dracovish is equal to the combined weight of Dracozolt and Arctovish, furthering the impression that their body parts were just mashed together in any way that fit.
- Furthermore, why can't the Galarian fossils breed? Because they're Mix-and-Match Critters a.k.a. hybrids, and hybrid animals are generally infertile.
- Given the fact the Piltdown Man
- There are instances in the 24-hour stream of Glimwood Tangle of Impidimp showing up and feedbombing what would otherwise be clear-shot appearances of Galarian Ponyta. The fact that it can be found wild in the Glimwood Tangle is not the brilliant part; that would be when you get a look at the Pokédex and learn that it feeds on the frustration of humans and other Pokémon. It's not there just to cockblock the viewers; it's there for a quick snack!
- Duraludon is based on The Shard, a skyscraper in London. According to the official website, its rival is Tyranitar. Tyranitar is based on Godzilla, who is known for destroying buildings. Looks like one building got fed up and is fighting back!
- While Zacian and Zamazenta's theming seems somewhat natural, if you look closer, you'll see there's more to it than meets the eye. Judging by some of their Pokédex entries note , they seem to also represent the two halves of the irresistible force paradox, also known as the "Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object" paradox.
- The Hero forms of Zacian and Zamazenta interestingly have a tipped ear. Those that work in animal shelters would know that's a sign a feral animal was caught (usually for neutering/spaying purposes) before releasing them back into the wild.
- Why do Zacian and Zamazenta need to be in their Crowned forms to fight Eternatus effectively and end the Darkest Day? Eternatus is a Poison/Dragon type. Zamazenta wouldn't be able to do much as a Fighting type (Poison resists Fighting), while Zacian would be outright weak to Poison as a Fairy type. But their Crowned forms give them an additional Steel typing that considerably limits Eternatus' options while widening their own note , a stat boost, and a move tailor-made to take down Dynamaxed and Gigantamaxed Pokémon note , levelling the playing field.
- Relevant to the above: why is Zacian the one who's immune to both of Eternatus' types? Zacian's a physical attacker, which means it's much more likely to get up close and personal and thus much likelier to get hit. Its defenses are not the best compared to its counterpart, so being immune to Eternatus' strongest attacks (including its signature attack, Eternabeam) means it's able to stay in the fight longer and deal out more damage.
- Urshifu's typing incorporates both Yin and Yang. Yin is associated with Water and Darkness, which the two forms have as their secondary types. Yang is associated with light and masculinity, or in this case, their primary Fighting type.
- Calyrex and its mounts Glastrier and Spectrier:
- Ice Rider/Shadow Rider Calyrex is the first ever Pokémon to have two abilities at once, while the other fusions like Black/White Kyurem or Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings Necrozma don't. Makes sense, since Calyrex isn't technically fused to its steed, just riding atop of it.
- Ice Rider/Shadow Rider Calyrex has essentially the same base stats as Glastrier or Spectrier, respectively; the only difference is that the Calyrex forme has +20 to everything except for HP. Calyrex is effectively a glorified Mega Stone for its steed.
- Calyrex having a blue aura when Dynamaxed may be based on the proverb that royalty like him has Blue Blood in contrast with the red blood/aura other Pokémon have when Dynamaxed.
- Given that whenever Calyrex uses its power, it is depicted as blue in aura, it might be indicated that it is Dynamaxing under its own power rather than the usual influence from Eternatus.note
- Glastrier and Spectrier fit with two of the horsemen of the apocalypse, as well as the steeds of King Arthur. This is appropriate due to the designations of those horses:
- Pestilence/Conquest: In ancient times, Calyrex conquered the horse that plagued the Crown Tundra. In the present day, its complacency born of its successes has led it to lose most of its power, and it must reconquer its steed once more to reclaim its power.
- Famine: Calyrex's loss of power makes it unable to restore the lands of the Crown Tundra to their fruitful glory. In ancient times, fixing this was Calyrex's way of thanking the people for nursing it back to health.
- Llamrei and Hengroen, the mare and stallion of King Arthur, respectively. Spectrier (with its more feminine appearance as well as being the steed more clearly depicted on the wooden sculpture in Freezington) is Llamrei, who has an association with a stone that has a hoofprint in it. In contrast, Glastrier is more masculine — and cool — in design.
- Most human NPCs in the series follow a Floral Theme Naming (since the start in the Japanese originals, since Gen V in the English translation). Calyrex is the first Pokémon in the series who interacts with the player as a normal human NPC would, and fittingly it has a Floral Theme Naming of its own (calyx being Latin for "bud")!
- Toxtricity's appearance changes depending on which form it's in, with the second-most notable difference (after the colours) being the protruding organs on their chest. Amped Toxtricity has six, while Low-Key Toxtricity has four. An electric guitar and a bass guitar, respectively, have six and four strings, and indeed, the credits sequence for the main game shows that Toxtricity do use these organs to make proper music.
- There are a few interesting details about the two new Legendary Golems and how they relate to the four who preceded them:
- Regigigas bears two sets of three markings — one red, one blue, and one gray — whose colors seem to represent the first three Golems — Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. There don't seem to be any markings for Regieleki and Regidrago... unless one accounts for Regigigas' yellow, armor-like growths and black, jagged patterns, respectively. The growths even shape themselves against Regigigas' shoulders as the coil does against Regieleki, and the jagged patterns bring Regidraco's sharp teeth to mind. On a conceptual basis, it is very likely that the two additional golems derive their most prominent colors from those parts of their maker.
- Regieleki and Regidrago continue the trend of the Golems being representations of the different "Ages" of humanity. The original three are the most straightforward: Regirock is the Stone Age, Regice is the Ice Age, and Registeel is the Iron Age. Regidrago represents the Middle Ages (where tales of dragons came from), and Regieleki represents the Modern Age (the age of electricity). Regigigas, who predates them all, instead represents Prehistory.
- According to the Pokédex, Dubwool never uses its horns for battle, only for display. Of course it does; it couldn't do any damage with its horns even if it tried. Its larger horns are facing backwards and its smaller horns are located in an awkward position where it couldn't use them to jab or stab anything. They're also curved upwards, rather than facing out.
- Wooloo cannot learn Rollout despite the Pokédex stating that it rolls away to escape enemies. Well, getting run over by a big, fluffy ball of wool with hooves probably wouldn't hurt that much.
- Indeedee willingly serves people because it gets feelings of energy from gratitude. This feature of its biology would keep it from being used as a slave by selfish people; if it worked for an ungrateful person who didn't appreciate its service, then it would have no reason to stay and continue working for them. Even if an ungrateful person were to force it to work and somehow keep it from running away, eventually it wouldn't be able to work at all because it would run out of energy from the lack of gratitude.
Galarian formes
- The cross-generational evolutions shown all come from Galarian variations. This can be seen as a new way to introduce them without Retconning their normal variations in a way that's rather questionable.
- This also appears to have been a test run for the idea of introducing new evolutions for older Pokémon at all after having not done so at all in Gens V and VII (and only having introduced one new evolution for an older Pokémon in Gen VI — Sylveon, which evolves from Eevee, a Pokémon that was already established for having several possible evolutions). Both Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduced a few evolutions for older Pokémon that were not tied to regional variationsnote (in addition to regional form-exclusive evolutionsnote ) after the evolutions for the Galarian forms were well-received.
- Galarian Mr. Mime evolves into Mr. Rime, which is classified as the Comedian Pokémon. What does rhyming have to do with comedy, you might ask? Well, considering Galar is based on the UK...
- Galarian Ponyta becoming a more traditional unicorn makes sense when you remember the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland, a part of the same United Kingdom that serves as the inspiration for the Galar region.
- Said unicorn is a Psychic-type, not the Fairy-type that was expected, because unicorns in lore (and in ability for said Galarian Ponyta) are known for healing poisons (though it does gain a secondary Fairy typing upon evolving into Galarian Rapidash). Fairy-type Pokémon are vulnerable to poisons and thus cannot so easily cure it.
- Galarian Corsola/Cursola:
- Why has Galarian Corsola lost the ability to use the move Recover? On the meta side, it's probably to prevent it from becoming incredibly overpowered: a bulky 150 defense (with an Eviolite) on both sides and access to a health restoring move would allow it to become Nigh-Invulnerable and shrug off even Max or G-Max Moves. But in-universe, it makes sense as well: the poor thing's basically become a bleached piece of coral after the ancient seas drained away due to climate change caused by a nearby meteor impact. The coral protrusions you see on it are actually just blobs of ectoplasm. As such, being undead, it would likely not be too good at recovering the coral it lost as a Corsola.
- It's stated in Mareanie's Shield Pokédex entry that Mareanie found in Galar haven't developed a taste for Corsola's branches. Considering that Galarian Corsola's branches have become incorporeal and also used by Corsola to drain life-force, this makes sense.
- It is also possible that Corsola became extinct long ago, being "an ancient type of Corsola", and thus died out before Mareanie arrived in the Galar region to potentially predate on them.
- Galarian Articuno/Zapdos/Moltres, a.k.a. the Legendary Birds:
- It makes sense that they are the ones who received Galarian forms because, aside from being Gen I Pokémon, they are also among the few Legendary Pokémon without any kind of established backstory in the games, which makes their variations not so far-fetched.
- They are also the only three Legendary Pokémon to explicitly have multiple specimens (minus Gameplay and Story Segregation with Entei), so there is a possibility that some of them migrated to the Crown Tundra.
- Some of their traits stand out and could reference Pokémon Go. G-Moltres is described as a very haughty Pokémon; such arrogance would very likely contain a lack of fear and incredible bravery in danger, I.E. Valor. G-Articuno moves in a very "refined manner" and has an otherwise graceful appearance and its Psychic-typing makes it quite Mystic, while G-Zapdos is said to pick fights with Pokémon who it might see as potentially challenging to itself out of an act to prove superiority, acting very likely out of Instinct.
- Their behavior while roaming are also referencing to their abilities. Articuno is Competitive and plays games with you to see if you're worthy of battling it. Zapdos is Defiantly running through the plains, not really giving up until it starts to slow down. Moltres will go Berserk if you intercept it and blow your whistle or ring the bike's bell.
- Perhaps more Fridge Humor, but the fact that Galarian Zapdos is Fighting Type is this when you remember that out of the Kantonian Legendary Birds, Zapdos was the only one who didn't have a four times weakness to Rock. It's also a reversal of the previous trend. Original Zapdos, with its Electric type, has a type advantage against the other two (Articuno has an advantage on Zapdos but not Moltres). Here, being a Fighting type means it is weak to both of the other birds.
- Unlike Kantonian Moltres, Galarian Moltres loses Roost from its level up moveset. Regular Moltres will land (roost) both in camp and as a following Pokémon when you talk to it; however, Galarian Moltres does not willingly land on the ground for any of its animations.
- Galarian Slowpoke line:
- The line was added to the game two months after its initial release — Slowpoke is infamously slow to do anything, and that includes appear in the game.
- Galarian Slowbro becoming Poison-type was a massive foreshadowing since Generation II. Slowbro's Dex entry in Silver states that the Shellder that bites its tail seeps poison — and the poison from Shellder mixes with the Galarica spices the Slowpoke consumed, turning Galarian Slowbro into a Poison-type.
- Galarian Slowpoke and the items to evolve it into the regional variants of Slowbro and Slowking are this and Mythology Gag. For Slowking, it's rather obvious; the item to evolve it is found in the Crown Tundra and Slowking wears its Shellder like a crown. As for Slowbro, its item is found in the Isle of Armor, and this seems to be just a way to push the expansion until one also recalls that Kantonian Slowbro's Shellder became armor for it in its Mega Evolution.
- Galarian Farfetch'd being pure Fighting-type makes sense when you consider that Farfetch'd have always used leeks as weapons. However, since leeks in Galar are larger and heavier than ones in Kanto, Farfetch'd likely adapted into its anatomy a different muscle and bone structure similar to a Fighting-type.
Gigantamax and Dynamax formes
- When Dynamaxing a Pokémon or catching a Dynamaxed raid boss, the player's Poké Ball enlarges. The player than lifts the ball above their head, using two hands and throws it outward. The shape of the ball looks just like a football ball and the throwing method is the way field players (especially those assigned as lateral throwers by their coaches) throw the balls as well, in an overhead manner. Similar to the above, as an analogue for Britain, this makes sense, especially because football/soccer not only is especially popular, but was also the place where football as we know it was born, and it houses the sport's very own ruling board. The country's local association even hosts the oldest Football competition ever still active.
- Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are logical progressions from the previous Mega Evolution and Z-Moves and combine aspects of both. All 3 gimmicks use a bracelet and crystal to empower the Pokémon used.
- Like with Mega Evolutions, the Dynamaxed Pokémon grows to a new size (and for the case of Gigantamax, shape) with associated stat changes.
- Like with Z-Moves, the enlarged Pokémon's moves are replaced with a "Max" move, similar to how Z-Moves are special attacks exclusive to the Pokémon used.
- Gigantamax Pikachu's rounder design and longer tail bring to mind its very early designs. Bonus points in that you can receive it by having save data of Let's Go Pikachu!, which is a "remake" of Pokémon Yellow.
- Gigantamax Alcremie's exclusive G-Max Move is called G-Max Finale. Given that Alcremie has the appearance of whipped cream and its Gigantamax form looks like a giant cake, it's themed after desserts, which are commonly the finale of a multiple course meal.
- As weight-based moves cannot be used on Dynamaxed Pokémon, what could have been another hint to their weight is blocked out. Plus it furthers the lore that Dynamaxed Pokémon are not genuinely increasing in mass, but the position of their actual mass becomes unclear to the point that weight can't be determined.
- Eternatus can't be Dynamaxed despite being the source of the energy that allows Dynamax. That's because it's effectively permanently Dynamaxed to begin with. Zacian and Zamazenta, on the other hand, are the only Pokémon that can naturally resist Eternatus' powers, and thus they cannot Dynamax either.
- Compared to the majority of Gigantamax forms, Gigantamax Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon all appear to have a more similar size to their base form, with the growth being concentrated on a specific area; Rillaboom's drum, Cinderace's fireball, and Inteleon's tail. This may be because, according to the description of the Gigantamax starters, the Isle of Armor gives them the Gigantamax factor externally, rather than inherently having the factor.
Hisuian formes
- Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark can be considered bad end takes on Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales. Both are Fox Pokémon who entered a new region and migrated to snowy regions. However, the Alolan Vulpix did so willingly to avoid conflict while the Zorua were driven to the snowy regions by conflict against them. As a consequence, the Alolan Vulpix adapted to the conditions, while the Hisuian Zorua did not and died. Finally, the Alolan Vulpix and Ninetales are peaceful unless angered, while the Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark are aggressive unless befriended.
- A reason why Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark have Normal as a secondary type rather than Dark, is since in spite of all their malice, they simply just wanted a normal life.
- Why is Ursaring one of the non-Sinnoh native Pokémon shown in Hisui? Hokkaido, the real-life inspiration for Sinnoh/Hisui is known for their bear population; in addition, one of the Pearl Clan's Ursaluna briefly turning violent in the Crimson Mirelands chapter can be seen as a reference to an infamous series of bear attacks in Hokkaido during December of 1915, where a brown bear caused havok for nearby villagers and hunters due to having been disturbed from hibernation. Finally, Ursaring's presence may bring to mind Paul's Ursaring, one of the most prominent Pokémon Ash faced in his iconic rivalry in the Sinnoh anime. Notably, in the same episode Paul caught a Stantler that he quickly released from a forest famed for its Stantler.
- Speaking of Ursaring, shiny Ursaluna's color scheme is reddish rather than brownish. Now consider where you can find its evolution item.
- The absence of certain Hisuian forms and evolutions in modern-day Sinnoh, assuming they actually no longer occur instead of us just having not seen them in the modern day, are likely due to the geological, sociological, and ecological changes in Sinnoh over the centuries. Many might double as Fridge Horror.
- Scyther likely stopped evolving into Kleavor due to a decrease in supply of Black Augurite from increases in mining activity.
- The Mirelands shrinking into the comparatively smaller Great Marsh would have lessened the amount of peat available to Ursaring, preventing them from evolving into Ursaluna.
- Like with Scyther, peat also would have faced overmining, and likely would've led to it losing it's ability to evolve.
- A decrease in the total iron content in the water of Hisui/Sinnoh likely led to a lack of shell formation for Hisuian Sliggoo and Goodra. A general decrease in the swamplands as mentioned above likely didn't help the Goomy population in general from there.
- More likely, the heaviness of their shells probably contributed to their extinction; short of rolling away as Sliggoo does, they're not particularly practical or fast for movement. It would be reasonably easy for predators to catch them, and for their own prey to escape. As a result, the Hisuian variant likely couldn't adapt to a smaller/lighter shell, and natural selection took it's course.
- Strong & Agile Style becoming dead arts over time & the absence of Lake Valor's Alpha Overqwil once you beat or catch it, likely prevents other Hisuian Qwilfish from evolving to take its place.
- The Hisuian starters aren't native to Hisui, and their evolutions are described as rare; it's possible their evolutions are simply uncommon enough that there's not a large enough population to sustain the lineages, and by modern times, the forms don't exist anymore.
- The destruction of the Temple of Sinnoh/creation of Spear Pillar doesn't outright sever both Hisuian Typhlosion and the White Stripe Basculin line's ties to the spirit world that gives them their secondary ghost-typing, but frays the connection enough for them to lose it overtime.
- White-striped Basculin is said to be very "gentle". It's possible this form gave way to natural selection as a result of this demeanor in the face of predators.
- Volcanic activity in the Hisui region decreases over the years, and as a result, Hisuian Growlithe and Hisuian Arcanine lose their Rock typing.
- They have a 4x weakness to water, and tend to live on a small volcanic island surrounded by water. Volcanic islands are notorious for appearing or disappearing with eruptions, and as the island isn't present in modern-Sinnoh, it's easily possible the population could've died out after the island sank.
- Hisuian voltorb live very close to the peak of Mt. Coronet, despite the cold. As grass types, this would've been detrimental, and easily could've led to extinction. In modern Sinnoh, the cold appears to have traveled further down the mountain by that point.
- Within a few centuries, electricity also would've been invented, and the Voltorb would quite possibly have felt more at home feeding on the electricity produced by power plants, choosing to move there and eventually losing their grass type.
- Johtoan Sneasel/Weavile are said to hunt in packs, compared to the more solitary Hisuian Sneasel/Sneasler, and are ice types, more suited to the cold than the Hisuian forms (notably, in modern Sinnoh, Johtoan Sneasel are readily found in roughly the same area, just outside the lake). They easily could've outhunted the Hisuian line, or even decimated the population in turf wars.
- Hisuian Qwilfish has a lower-case "q" on its tail, while Overqwil has a capital "Q", a possible reference to the former's English name. Similarly, the two lines on Johtonian Qwilfish's tail look like the katakana "ha" (ハ), referencing its Japanese name Harysen.
- Why is Wyrdeer's Speed lower than Stantler's? Its furry coat and beard make it less aerodynamic and slow it down.
Fridge Horror
New mons
- So nobody in-universe considers the ethical issues of Arctozolt, Dracozolt, Dracovish, and Arctovish being allowed to exist at all? Their Dex entries literally state how they suffer greatly from having mismatched body parts, such as Arctozolt constantly shivering since its tiny Electric upper half isn't used to the cold of its lower half, or Dracovish struggling to breathe out of water as it has the head of a fish on the body of a land-dweller. Type: Null was tragic enough, but at least it was a one-off instance that seems to have no issues physically about having mix-and-matched DNA. The Galar fossil Pokemon, on the other hand, have incompatible body parts intentionally spliced together... and anyone, even ten-year old kids, can create them on purpose by taking the necessary fossils to the lab.
- It's kinda a mercy that the other fossils are unavailable in the game considering how they messed up fossils native in their region.
- Given the possibility of a Piltdown Man inspiration, there's no guarantee that this isn't an elaborate hoax on Cara's part that hasn't been going on long enough to be exposed... meaning, if it's for the same reasons, she's the Pokémon equivalent not just of Charles Dawson but also of Shou Tucker. Even worse, given how many British scientists were fooled simply because Dawson was British and the "fossil" was "found" in Britain, and, despite the doubts that existed from the beginning, the fact it took debunking by three British scientists for it to fall out of favour, does that mean some Galarian scientists would accept these abominations at face value — until more credible and less gullible Galarian scientists like Magnolia, Sonia, and Hop unquestionably prove that they're a hoax — simply because this evil woman and her creations are Galarian?
- Nevermind the fallout once the fraud is finally discovered. The only possible way for Galar's scientific community to save face at all is if one of the aforementioned trio exposes Cara Liss themselves. If a foreign professor such as Elm, Rowan, or Arceus forbid, the venerable Oak, discovers the abuse, it's going to bring some seriously bad publicity down on everyone's heads. And that's the last thing Galar needs after the shenanigans with Eternatus.
- While simply reviving fossil Pokémon is quite common, actual gene manipulation has only happened twice before, resulting in Mewtwo and Type: Null, and we all know what those two are capable of. Even if you ignore the potentially devastating effects Cara Liss's creations could have if they got loose, there's still one question. All fossil revival has been either done by professionals in museums or labs, or by the guy in the Dream Park whose life's dream is to create a Fossilmon paradise, so he's probably an expert. Meanwhile, Cara Liss is simply a random woman who can access technology akin to the Aether Foundation's. Either she's an absolute genius (unlikely given what she creates), or there's something a lot more fishy going on. Maybe it's not such a mystery as to how Aether's research was stolen...
- As mentioned on the Tear Jerker page, Dracovish is making the rounds on the competitive circle for its Strong Jaw + Fishious Rend combo. Made worse when you consider that the perpetually-suffocating Dracovish is arguably the one suffering the most of the four with the possible exception of the perpetually-freezing Arctozolt. The one in the most pain is the one being spawned en-masse. Worse, it throws a rather harsh light onto the lengths that competitive players will go to (and the things they'll accept) just to get that extra edge, creating an artificial Pokémon whose only purpose in life is to battle at any cost, not unlike Mewtwo before it.
- And speaking of Mewtwo, thank Arceus, Mew, Giratina, and everyone else that this is the game continuity and not the anime, where all of Mewtwo's Character Development exists. Imagine learning that some hack scientist in a foreign region is replicating the same horrible experiments that created you, only she's not even doing it right, instead creating abominations that can barely even function, and a bunch of callous teenagers are helping her create more by supplying her with broken fossils. Even knowing that this gen takes place well after The First Movie and Mewtwo Returns, there's no telling what Mewtwo's response would be...
- There is a much more disturbing implication with the Galar fossils: note that the Pokédex outright states that these chimeric hybrids were once prehistoric creatures, with clearly-fabricated entries about how they lived in the past, despite all in-universe evidence to the contrary. Which means... how much of the Pokédex is actually truth and how much of it is mere speculation or outright lies?
- A prevalent theory is that the Pokédex entries as we see them in-game were written by the Player Character. What are the odds that what Gloria/Victor is putting in for these poor beasts is just 100% pure bullshit being fed to them by Cara Liss?
- That, or they know good and well this is at least somewhat fishy, but slap something in on their own in the hopes of completing their research.
- A prevalent theory is that the Pokédex entries as we see them in-game were written by the Player Character. What are the odds that what Gloria/Victor is putting in for these poor beasts is just 100% pure bullshit being fed to them by Cara Liss?
- How did the Dreepy line go extinct? Considering that Dragapult fires its offspring at others as an attack — and the fact that the line likely wasn't part-Ghost before it died out, meaning it's unlikely that the kids could take the damage — it's entirely possible that the Dragapult parents killed more of their children than they could breed.
- What makes this worse is the fact that the Dreepy like being launched a high speeds.
- Being ghost-type doesn't mean they are extinct — you can always breed more of them, who will still be ghost-type.
- They are the ghosts of a species that went extinct. They used to exist as living creatures but survived as ghosts.
- Boltund is based off of foxhounds. Thievul is based off of red foxes. Foxhounds were used to hunt red foxes, and the PokéDex states that Boltund is Thievul's natural enemy...
Galarian formes
- The variations of Galarian Weezing and Galarian Corsola are one of many consequences of natural disasters or severe pollution in the Galar region. G-Corsola for example is based on Ghost coral, coral bleached white after it has died. The official site would eventually reveal they became like this due to a meteor impact (perhaps the same one that carried Eternatus) thousands of years ago, which caused the sea they lived in to drain away and become the Dusty Bowl. Galarian Weezing came about as a reaction to a period long ago implied to be the Pokémon equivalent of the Industrial Revolution when the air was heavily fouled by pollution from droves of factories.
- Runerigus is stated to not be Yamask evolved, but the rune slab Yamask was carrying, now having gained a life of its own... after draining the Yamask's spirit. Literal Ghost Pokémon can die. And since you choose when to evolve it, you are deliberately killing Yamask.
- On top of that, in order to even "evolve" Yamask in the first place, you need to deplete 49 HP from it before it can become Runerigus. Not only are you deliberately killing poor Yamask, you are beating the poor thing up to the point it can't fight back against its tablet, and then letting it get sucked up into the rune slab, losing its sense of self and becoming a horrifying monstrosity in the process!
- Even worse, remember how the Pokedex says that Yamask are actually the spirits of deceased people? You're basically killing a former human being for the second time! Moral of the story: Never become a Yamask in the Galar region!
- There are two main ways this could pan out. The more charitable one is that this leaves the spirit well and truly free to finally pass on to the afterlife. The alternative is that the spirit is denied even that as it's fully consumed by the rune, and instead suffers Cessation of Existence at best and And I Must Scream at worst.
- Or, for a relatively tamer explanation, the curse on the runestone tablet simply funnels Yamask's spirit inside and allows it to possess the tablet. Which would probably make more sense gameplay-wise, since the resulting Runerigus is essentially the same Pokémon as the Yamask that evolved into it, as far as natures, characteristics, recalling where it was hatched/caught, and whatnot are concerned.
Hisuian formes
- Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark are Normal/Ghost typed, whilst their "classic" incarnations are Dark typed. The lore for the Hisuian versions states that they're Ghost typed because they were driven to Hisui, died due to being unsuited for the climate, then came back as Ghosts due to their rage and hate. But if you stop and think about it... this means that the original typing for the ancestral forms of Zorua and Zoroark was probably Normal; modern-day Zorua and Zoroark are thus Dark types because they have chosen to embrace their reputation as fearful monsters to avenge these ancestral cruelties.
- In order to evolve Basculin to Basculegion, you need it to take at least 294 collective recoil damage, and recoil damage that causes it to faint doesn't count. You're essentially getting it to recklessly beat itself up via self-destructive moves for it to evolve.
