Judge a Pokémon Express: Edition Four

Codraroll

It has been 20 years since Hitmonchan established itself as the boxing Pokémon, but now Crabrawler has appeared to challenge it for the belt. And I must say, concept-wise, I think Crabrawler has the edge. Hitmonchan is a boxer, and nothing more. It's a humanoid Pokémon based on a human profession. Crabrawler is something as interesting as a boxing coconut crab. I'm all for designs that mix and match design bases, and for this reason I also find Crabrawler more interesting than the Water-type crabs of Gen I, Krabby and Kingler.

So, a good concept, but how is it executed? I think it is decent. The claws may be a little oversized, but there's nothing truly wrong about Crabrawler. The purple, cyan, and cream color scheme works well. The proportions are okay (again, except for the claws). Crabrawler also sports a slick hairdo, but its elegance is undercut by a perpetual "black eye". The black eye might not look that good, but it certainly adds personality to the design, so I think it is fine.

I can see one thing working against Crabrawler, though: It is hardly more than half a meter tall, weighing only seven kilograms. By comparison, Hitmonchan is 1.4 m tall and weighs over 50 kg. While Hitmonchan might have some feather-weight classes to compete in, somebody will have to invent a new one for Crabrawler.

Codraroll

The inexplicable tag on its rear seems to be the definite proof that Stufful is more based on a stuffed animal than an actual one. In that sense, I can sort of understand the quite strange design. But not forgive it completely, because there's a lot of strangeness to comment on. First and foremost, the limbs. They have no joints, no digits, and look more like brown cucumbers sewn onto its body than actual arms and legs. The head is much bigger than the body, leading to an imbalanced design (my favorite design complaint in Pokémon). I'm not a fan of the pink base of its ears either, since it follows the curvature of the head so it looks like the head was drawn and coloured before ears were attached. The white ring around its face serves no apparent purpose but to up the awful pink and brown colour scheme to a certain degree. Like Bewear, Stufful also manages to have a tail with pink-and-pink stripes. Why not use the white on that part of the body?

At least the lore is a little interesting. Stufful is a very huggable bear that hates being hugged. Bewear loves hugs, but because of its dangerous strength, nobody wants to hug it. That little tragic twist gives some flavor to an otherwise quite bland design.

Codraroll

I'm not sure what to think about Turtonator. It's obviously the most badass turtle Pokémon since Blastoise, but it hasn't got much competition for the title.

Let's begin with the concept, which is quite interesting. At first, I thought Turtonator resembled a land mine, being flat and splodey with a "shell trap" move and having "detonator" in its name, but it seems more correct that it is based on an explosion rather than an explosive. Flavor text suggests Turtonator is prone to exploding because of the sulfur it absorbs, and it's capable of detonating itself by smacking the shell with its tail. That doesn't strike me as a very sustainable battle strategy, but at least it's interesting to see a Pokémon using its shell for purely offensive purposes rather than defensive ones.

Turtonator's back sort of looks like a cartoonish fireball with debris being expelled. For some reason, its head is a miniature version of its back, making it look like Turtonator wears a silly hat. The head also incorporates the iconic nose of the mata mata turtle, upon which Turtonator is based, but not with great success. Its size and coloration are so exaggerated that it's easy to miss Turtonator's mouth. The real mata mata's nose is small and pointed upwards, like a snorkel, while Turtonator's nose fills the entire face, giving the appearance of a beak.

I can't say I'm a fan of Turtonator's limbs either. The arms are kind of puny, curving like tentacles instead of having joints. The legs are very short and stubby, with proportions like flower pots and no apparent knees. I'd like to see an animation of Turtonator walking, since the legs look borderline useless for that purpose (though to be fair, Turtonator is not alone here—the same problem applies to Blastoise, Nidoking, Rhydon, and Tyranitar, among others).

All in all, Turtonator is an interesting concept, but apart from the exploding shell, the execution leaves something to be desired. Perhaps it will give a better impression when shown in 3D in the games, than the 2D artwork manages to convey.

Codraroll

Pyukumuku is based on a sea cucumber, which is an animal looking like a lump of something lying on the sea floor. Coincidentally, Pyukumuku also looks like a lump of something, and that's basically all there is to the design. If you told me it was based on a pincushion, or a stone, or a water balloon, I'd buy it. A small, black, oval body, with pink, very blunt, "spikes", pink dot eyes, a star-shaped mouth, and some sort of puff tail. That's all there is to the design. At least the colours sort of work together.

Its lore is, however, quite unique. Pyukumuku can spit its inner organs at its foes. That one gross bit of sea cucumber biology somehow made it to Pokémon, and it makes Pyukumuku stand out. A Pokémon that can wring itself out to attack the opponent is an original touch, I must say.

It is also an interesting example of how Pokémon design philosophy can change as technology progresses. Early Pokémon were limited to designs that could be drawn in black-and-white on a GameBoy screen with quite poor resolution. With the GameBoy Color, two colours could be added to every sprite, alongside black and white. The GameBoy Advanced finally allowed the designers to work with colourful designs and intricate patterns, since they had a higher resolution and more colours to work with. And now, 3D models allow for truly dynamic designs. It wouldn't have been possible to convey Pyukumuku spitting out its innards in the sprite-based games, but with dynamic 3D models, the designers can finally add and remove parts of a Pokémon model in animations. That makes design features like Pyukumuku's innards and Mimikyu's arm possible. I can't wait to see what other designs will utilize the possibility of such dynamic models.

Also, "Pyukumuku" is a quite long and awkward Pokémon name, but you write it using only letters on the right-hand side of the keyboard. I can't tell if that makes it more or less awkward to write, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Codraroll

On its own, Wishiwashi is a small, scaredy fish. Every bit of its design, from its eyes and mouth to its animation conveys fear and uncertainty. Just look at how its fins hang downwards, its rigid pose, shivering gaze and half-closed eyelids. Even the pale color scheme helps the impression that this is a Pokémon drenched in absolute terror. It is, by far, the wimpiest fish Pokémon ever created.

That all changes with the School form, though. Suddenly, Wishiwashi gets over 40 times taller, 262 times heavier and a lot more menacing. Wishiwashi School form is the size of a full-grown Great White, dwarfing even Gyarados and Kyogre. Interestingly, School form Wishiwashi has almost the same pose as Solo form Wishiwashi, but its expression changes completely. The frowning mouth isn't that of a nervous lip-biter any more, but a powerful jaw ready to crunch any prey. The pectoral fins hang down, not in defeat, but in readiness to strike. The dorsal fin, however, stands proud. The color scheme also changes, from pale white to a dark, menacing blue. Wishiwashi loses its shivering too, instead swimming calmly and confidently in its School form. I look forward to seeing the stats of this beast. It is already balanced out by being a temporary power boost—akin to Defeatist, when I think about it—so the designers can go all the way to Slaking levels without fear of making Wishiwashi broken.

Codraroll

Marowak always struck me as a spiritual Pokémon. It lives in solitude in the mountains, wears a skull as a mask, and keeps a bone it got from a secret graveyard somewhere in the world. But despite this shaman-like behaviour, it has always been a pure Ground-type.

...outside Alola, at least. In Alola, Marowak seems to have turned to religion and become a true Ghost Pokémon to honor the dead. It has also incorporated the Polynesian tradition of fire dancing, lighting its bone with ghostly flame like a fire staff.

All in all, this new form of Marowak fits both lore-wise and visually. Alola Marowak are much darker than regular Marowak and have apparently painted a symbol on their mask. They are already expert bone twirlers, which shouldn't change much if the bone is on fire. Alola Marowak seems to be covered in soot or volcanic ash, which could explain why the skull mask is darker than regular Marowak's. Other than the coloration and the fire, Alola Marowak are also slightly leaner than regular Marowak. All in all, a suitable form change, if not a very drastic one.

Codraroll

This generation brings more Pokémon based on inanimate objects, and Sandygast and Palossand can certainly compete in the "most WFT design base" awards. Sand castles? That's, uh... new.

That being said, Sandygast pulls it off rather well. Its Ghost typing helps justify the wacky design base. In Pokémon, ghosts can possess seemingly anything, even mounds of sand. Sandygast appears to be something living in the sand, fusing with it to form a body. Not a very ornamental or elaborate body, but enough to form a face and two smaller mounds that, by some stretch of imagination, could be arms. Its small eyes are embedded in a dark splotch that I suppose is the "core" of Sandygast. Sandygast is mostly, but not completely, a pile of sand, and this little spot above the tunnel-like mouth is presumably where it's all controlled.

The small trovel on its head should also be addressed. I take it this is Sandygast's "trophy", a small accessory for decoration and possibly other symbolic purposes. Sneasel carries a feather, Meowth a coin, Farfecth'd a leek, so I have no problems about the bright little trovel sticking out of Sandygast. Sandygast is also said to hypnotize people to bring more sand to itself, so I presume the trovel is also used for this purpose.

Codraroll

A haunted castle is one of the most popular settings for ghosts in popular culture. A big, dark castle, possibly in ruins, filled with scary sounds, labyrinthic passages and inexplicable phenomena. It's a little hard to incorporate into a Pokémon design, but Game Freak made a genius compromise: A haunted sand castle. Perhaps not as intimidating, but it makes for an interesting Pokémon nonetheless. Palossand has a bit more control of its body than Sandygast does and has therefore shaped it into a full-blown castle. Shells and larger pebbles are no longer strewn around haphazardly, but neatly arranged to decorate the dome of its head and its, uh, upper lip. The trovel is set handle-down into the head, signaling that Palossand is complete and no more sand is required. The "core" has taken residence in a small room in the castle's main tower, looking out through its windows. Since there are windows all around the head, it seems like Palossand could look behind itself without turning around. Neat!

The two side towers give Palossand some dexterity and flexibility, which I think is required to create a good design. Palossand isn't a static model of a sand castle, but a living creature that moves and emotes. In a sense, it's very reminiscent of Muk, which has the same basic design premise and body shape. Some motion is required to convey expressions and emotions, and signal that Palossand is a creature more than it is an object. Overall, I think Palossand is a very creative design, which pulls of the "inanimate object" concept very successfully.

Codraroll

Morelull is either a tiny Pokémon consisting of three mushrooms and a thick stem, or a really tiny Pokémon with three mushrooms on its head. Either way, it's a cute little 'mon, and one of the few I can think of with the eyes positioned in the lower third of the design.

There's not much to say about Morelull's mushrooms; they are fairly standard and uninteresting. With their pattern and colors, they remind me of Musharna, but I don't think there's any intentional connection. I presume Morelull buries itself during the daytime, so only the mushrooms are visible above ground.

The creature itself is a little blob with very small legs, allowing Morelull to walk quietly along the forest floor. With its design and lore, Morelull strikes me as a very graceful, quiet Pokémon. It moves around every night so as not to suck too many nutrients from an area, its spores illuminate the forest, and it makes people drowsy. Truly a Pokémon that makes forests a lot more enchanting by its presence. I can't see it be a very fierce battler, but Morelull is a welcome addition to Pokémon nevertheless.

Codraroll

Many Alola Pokémon and forms seem to take inspiration from traditions and recreation of the Pacific islands. And one of the most popular forms of recreation is surfing, so it's only natural that a surfer Pokémon should be made. But with Surf being a very common move since the very beginning of Pokémon, how can you make a surfing Pokémon stand out?

No idea, but Raichu did it really well, on several levels. On its own, Alola Raichu is a more chubby and tan version of Raichu, with stubbier arms, larger ears and a larger tail. It surfs mid-air on its tail, justified by a new Psychic typing. Its color scheme has only received subtle changes, with a darker orange and more intense yellow. Its eyes also seem larger, while the nose and mouth are smaller. Raichu's long, rabbit-like feet are now shorter and broader, fitting the body a little better. I'm not a fan of its ears, but I think I can learn to live with them.

On a meta level, Alola Raichu's design is also quite genius. First and foremost, it brings attention to Raichu, which has had to live in Pikachu's shadow for all these years. I used to say that if Game Freak had got the option to remove two Pokémon, they would have removed Raichu twice, since for almost 20 years, Pikachu has got all the attention. Until now, it seems like Game Freak has wanted people to forget that Pikachu can evolve, but by giving Raichu an alternate form, they acknowledge that it isn't a totally unwanted Pokémon.

Second, surfing Pikachu have been a thing in at least two instances of Pokémon media. The surfing minigame in Pokémon Yellow may be the best remembered, but there is also an early Anime episode (EP067 by Bulbapedia's count) that features a surfing Pikachu named Puka, with shining blue eyes. Intentional or not, Alola Raichu pays homage to both of these. Well done, designers!

Codraroll

In the previous Judge A Pokémon Express panel, I criticized Alola Vulpix for being little more than a recolouration of regular Vulpix. With just a slight shape change to its tufts of fur, it appeared to be the laziest form conversion in Pokémon. Well, step aside Vulpix, because Alola Meowth is here.

Alola Meowth is a regular Meowth that has been rolled in ash. That's as far as the differences go. Its in-game and artwork poses are slightly different from regular Meowth, but the design remains near-identical apart from the color.

Upon closer inspection, though, there are some differences. Alola Meowth appears to have slightly longer legs (which I think were drawn as such just so it could make its "legs crossed" pose, which regular Meowth lacks the ability to do) and its arms have elbows instead of regular Meowth's boneless, curved ones. Its ears are slightly bigger compared to the head, and the whiskers have a slight curve, but this can be attributed to different drawing styles in artwork rather than intended design changes.

All in all, I'm disappointed in Alola Meowth. But it has this going for it, Meowth was always screaming for a Dark typing, especially in the Anime. Alola Meowth tweaks the original design slightly, giving it the typing it deserves and a matching color scheme. But it does it with the absolute minimum required effort.