Part five of our coverage of the Generation IX Pokemon, and juggling the right amount of Pokemon to put into parts 3-5 of the Generation IX reviews is a bit harder than I expected. This page was originally just Annihilape to Kingambit, covering al the new expanded evolutionary lines with Paldean Tauros... and I also briefly considered moving convergent evolutions Wiglett and Toedscool's evolutionary lines here... but I decided on just reviewing them based on the National Pokedex number.
Anyway, this is our last batch of 'regular' Pokemon, before we go to the Paradox Pokemon, pseudo-legendaries and legendaries (though Gimmighoul sneaks into that batch, for some reason), and there are a couple of real fun ones here!
Click here for the previous part.
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#128: Paldean Tauros
So I considered putting Paldean Tauros as the 'first' Paldean Pokemon in the review... which is really kinda weird because normally there's enough regional variants for me to create either its own article, or enough tagalongs in terms of regional evolutions that I can lump all the variants with their evolved forms. That has been how I handled the Alolan, Galarian and Hisuian variants. And then come Paldea, with only two regional variants... and one of them doesn't evolve into anything new. And it's Tauros! Which, I suppose, is kind of obligatory for everyone's favourite non-evolving angry bull to show up in Paldea since bullfighting is something associated pretty strongly with Spain. Which is why the most common 'Combat Breed' of Paldean Tauros is pure-Fighting type!
And, not going to lie, the first time I saw Paldean Tauros, I was definitely very disappointed. It's just regular Tauros, but black. And any kind of 'black repaint' is neat, but it definitely felt pretty lazy. Its positioning in the dex also tell me that there's not going to be a specific evolution... until its two alternate forms show up, anyway.
Also, it is kinda bizarre, isn't it, that Paldean Tauros is still an all-male species in the region that they flourish in? In previous generations the idea was that Tauros was a rare species only found in the nature reserve that is the Safari Zone, and while Miltank was kinda an all-female cow species, Miltanks cannot actually produce Tauros eggs like other gendered-but-classified-as-separate species couples like Volbeat/Illumise and the Nido-family. We've always had Tauros appear here and there, but never quite to the sheer scale of having large herds in Paldea. Is Ditto-breeding a sustainable way to, well, sustain a whole population?
Because hidden among little herds of regular Combat Breed Tauros, there's a small chance of these more unique 'bosses', with the Fire/Fighting Blaze Breed being exclusive to Scarlet and the Water/Fighting Aqua Breed being exclusive to Violet. All three (and original Kantonian Tauros) have access to Raging Bull, a new move that breaks through shields and copies the type of the Tauros using it.
The idea of these very-similar-from-afar variants being hidden among very similar but less desirable ones is kind of a concept we've seen before, with female Combees in previous games. But the execution... isn't the most interesting? The Blaze and Aqua Breeds don't look particularly exciting visually. Blaze Breed does have far more mean-looking horns and the three tails are tied up into a design that looks like a fuse. There are red streaks on its 'mane', but I really did feel like they could've done more to make the three designs a bit more distinct in battle if not in the overworld. Sure, both breeds' horn glow, but that honestly feels so minimal.
The reason why they are different types based on two of the more famous and controversial bullfighting practices, with the Blaze Breed being based on Toro embolado, where the bull horns are set on fire. Which, of course, is very inhumane to the unfortunate bull... but I am honestly kind of confused why they made the Blaze Bull Tauros so... simple looking. Even if it's part of the animations, I really would've liked to see this cow on fire.
The Aqua Breed is a bit more interesting, because this time its horns are apparently high-pressure water cannons, and it looks bulbous and awkward. Its tails are unraveled in the official art, but the in-game model has the three tails arranged like a boat's turbine. The Aqua Breed Tauros can actually swim if you release it into the water, which is a neat little touch. By dint of doing something interesting with it, this is probably my favourite one conceptually.
This breed is based on the Bous a la Mar, where the bulls will run down a specific street and end up swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Again, kind of interesting... but ultimately, they're not my thing and while there are more thought put into them, as a regional variant I did think that they really could've done a bit more to make these Tauroses stand out. Even if they wanted to make them indistinguishable in the overworld, it could've been a thing where the manes are black overworld, but light up depending on the breed in battle? Sort of like how they made Typhlosion's flames only light up in battle, but that's also the 'default' appearance? Eh. I felt like they could've done better for Tauros.
2/6.#974-975: Cetoddle & Cetitan
An adorable baby, which I feel looks a bit more adorable in the in-game engine compared to the art. The shape of the play-doh arms bug me a bit. But Cetoddle, identified as a 'closely related' species with Wailmer, is a land whale! Cetoddle is noted as a 'species that left the ocean and lived on land', which is actually the reverse of how real-life cetacean evolution went -- with their four-legged ancestors eventually developing to marine life. But this is Pokemon, so Cetoddle ends up going from sea to land, and even to the icy mountains, because the Cetoddle is a pure-Ice type that hangs out in the mountaints!
The design is fun, even if it doesn't really scream "whale" to me. It does fit with Cetoddle being related to Wailmer, though, which is a round whale... which makes sense when you realize that Cetoddle does share a lot of the same body shape as Wailmer, yeah? A longer tail, obvious stumpy legs and two long arms instead of fins. But even the shape of the upper jaw is similar to how Wailmer is regularly drawn, and it's kind of fun to speculate that Cetoddle might previously been a regional variant of Wailmer that eventually evolved into a completely separate species. Cool! It's even got a cute little narwhal horn, and narwhals are a type of whale that lives in the Arctic ocean!
And finally, the fandom have collectively agreed that Cetoddle as a whole -- being an ice-type walking whale -- is based on Ningen, a modern-day cryptid from Japan, a creature being described as a pale-blue walking whale with long arms or legs, supposedly inhabiting subantarctic oceans, and a large slit-like mouth. There's not much lore about the ningen beyond that, so Cetoddle can be a cute toddling little walking ice whale without having to also be a creepy monster!
Cetoddle then evolves into Cetitan, and... he's a lot less cute than Cetoddle, obviously, but I really do appreciate the arrangement of the tusks on this thing. How the three Triceratops-esque horns that point forwards on his face end up switching places when Cetitan opens his mouth, with the two horns on the lateral side ending at the bottom jaw. Like the usage of pink, too, and it's interesting that while the arms seem the same length as Cetoddle's, Cetitan's body and legs have grown and developed a lot more. Cetitan is also a lot more obviously whale-shaped, which is probably why this evolved form was promoted a bit more than its pre-evolution in the game's promotional material.
There are some pretty neat biological factoids about Cetitan in the dex entries, too, about how its central horn can build up ice energy that allows it to freeze its surroundings, as well as having thick layers of fat that help to insulate it against temperature. It's always a bit more 'realistic', I think, to show that sometimes not all Ice-type Pokemon are icy snow-blizzard monsters completely immune to the elements, but are sometimes just creatures that are particularly adapted to the environment. A very neat creature!
4/6.#976: Veluza
I didn't care much for Veluza the first time I saw it. We just got Barraskewda as a 'long, mean fish' last generation, and while I do realize we repeat birds and rodents every generation, I've always felt like there are so many different weird fishies out there (like Wiglett's garden eel!) that they could've picked something more interesting. Veluza is based on the hakes of the Merlucciidae, which is very important in Spanish cuisine. Apparently, half of all hakes in Europe are consumed by Spain. Which is neat, but the hake isn't the most interesting-looking fish even if they gave it spiky purple fins and the Psychic typing for no real reason...
...other than its gimmick. And at which point, I am actually impressed by how cool they made it. See, Veluza looks like a regular, if stylized, fish... until it uses its ability "Fillet Away", where Veluza cuts its HP to sharply boost its stats. It's like the old move Belly Drum, but... you actually see Veluza slicing off its meat and jettisoning it like boosters on a rocket. According to the Pokedex, Veluza's mind "becomes honed and its psychic power increases" when its unnecessary flesh is jettisoned off. This is even reflected in Veluza's overworld tendencies. In-game Veluza has a very average speed stat, but the damn things charge and rush at you at insane speeds... but if you pay proper attention to the overworld Veluzas, they actually do the whole 'jettison flesh' thing. It's just that, just like its dex entries note, Veluza has insane regeneration abilities.
Again, like Houndstone before, it's pretty interesting to see how Pokemon's a bit more willing to show a bit more bone? Even if it's very stylized in Veluza's case, and how it's the bones of a fish. Do really like the little bits of jettisoned flesh, and how this is framed as a cool little 'power up' move. It's kind of an anime trope, isn't it? Discarding redundant parts of yourself (or more often, weighted clothing) to show off your true speed? That one lesser Espada lady from Bleach did something similar, basically mutilating part of her monster form to get a boost in speed and agility.
Anyway, what would otherwise been a pretty boring fishie ends up being a fair bit interesting just because of this gimmick!
4/6.#977: Dondozo
We're getting another Water-type Pokemon, and while this one is also a non-evolving line, Dondozo is very intrinsically tied to the next one on the dex, Tatsugiri. I do think that despite the two of them being in a symbiotic relationship, Dondozo stands on its own as a pretty okay fish. I think it's the sheer size of the Dondozo in Lake Casseroya as they rise up from the depths of the ocean that really impressed me. Other than Wailord and Kyogre, we really don't have too many huge-fish Pokemon, and Dondozo dwarfs the Gyarados near it.
And this big, blue fish is... a catfish! I love how different it looks from the previous catfish Pokemon we had, though, and in particular I love how tapering his tail looks -- giving him Whiscash's "huge head" trope and Barboach's "this fish kinda looks like an eel" trope. The whiskers on Dondozo also look a fair bit more barb-y and less cartoonish. And... all the other features on Dondozo is meant to represent a stereotypical sushi chef, with the unkempt facial hair, the big boy, and especially the weird... horns or something on its head resembling the headband that these sushi chefs uses.
And... the dex entries are pretty interesting. Dondozo is a glutton -- and since it's big, it probably has to be -- and it's terrible at getting food. So since it's not that smart, it follows a Tatsugiri who it "treats like its boss", and follows its orders to catch prey. Slight spoilers for Tatsugiri afterwards, but Tatsugiri is the 'sushi' in this relationship, though Dondozo doesn't prey on it. Instead, the gimmick is basically suited for double battles, where the Tatsugiri will jump and hide inside Dondozo's mouth to boost all its stats. I thought this was originally a reference to something like the tongue-eating louse, a fish parasite, or something like a cleaner wrasse that can safely go inside the mouths of bigger fish... but then I find out that some species of catfishes will engage in the process of 'mouth-brooding', where they keep their young safe by holding them inside its mouth. Neat! We'll talk a bit more about how this actually works in the next review...
4/6. Would be 2/6-3/6 on its own.#978: Tatsugiri
I did talk a fair bit about the relationship between Dondozo and Tatsugiri on Dondozo's review, but Tatsugiri itself is a very fun design, too! It's obviously based on a sushi, although instead of a slice of fish meat, Tatsugiri is a whole fish with cartoon eyes... and the pile of 'rice' is actually something like an inflatable sac that Tatsugiri will visibly inflate in its animations. Tatsugiri is Water/Dragon, which... okay, sure. Both his English and Japanese names contain 'tatsu', or dragon, so... sure. I guess there's some comparison with the fish that inspire these guys being koi, and koi are associated with dragons...
Tatsugiri comes in three different forms, each based on different kinds of nigirizushi, which is a personal favourite food of mine. From top to bottom on this page, we have Curly Form, Droopy Form and Stretchy Form. Or, rather, shrimp nigiri, tuna nigiri and egg nigiri sushi. Mmm, sushi! (Alternatively, Curly Form might also be salmon sushi, which is more popular outside of Japan).
I do love that all three of them do have different personalities and hunting methods. Curly Form is 'cunning', feigns weakness to lure its prey, before ordering the mighty Dondozo to attack. The dex entries note that the different colours, behaviours and even default postures are all adaptations for Tatsugiri to hunt different kinds of prey.
Droopy Form here, meanwhile, looking rather miffed in its art, has my favourite colouration, probably because of the extra white details on its dorsal and pectoral fins. Which doesn't interfere with the 'two tone colours' that the Tatsus are going for, but still makes it look super pleasant. Droopy Form tricks its opponents by playing dead, meanwhile, though it also presumably can call Dondozo to its aid.
Anyway, the whole combination of Tatsugiri as a weak but cunning boss is basically creating the trope of the 'brains and the brawn'. The Dondozo being the big burlish thug protecting his smarter but more fragile boss. It's shown pretty well in the game's story itself, I think, with the Titan Pokemon originally seeming to be a very impressive-looking Dondozo when in reality it's the Tatsugiri.
In mechanical terms, in a double battle, you're basically sacrificing your second Pokemon (Tatsugiri can't attack when it's hidden) in favour of giving Dondozo gigantic boosts to all its stats, as well as allowing Dondozo's signature move 'Order Up' to further boost its stats -- the stats change depending on which form of Tatsugiri you're using, presumably a reference to the Tatsus' different hunting methods.
Our final sushi fish is Stretchy Form, which is specifically identified as hunting bird Pokemon. By... camouflage, and inflating its throat sac? Which I'm not sure what they're supposed to look like. The nearby rocks, I guess? Somehow I don't think the Fletchlings or whatever this thing preys on will be fooled by a giant tamago-sushi in the middle of a lake.
I like the pair a lot more after playing through the game, for sure. Probably one of the most gimmicky Pokemon we've had in this franchise, and one of the harder ones to write a review for... but I've grown to really like them. Not the most useful combo in-game, perhaps, since there's not a lot of options to do double battles in the game itself, but very creative. Points for creativity.
5/6 as a set with Dondozo, would be a 3/6 on its own. #979: Annihilape
And now we get to the four new evolutions to previous lines, and they're all Pokemon that desperately needed some attention! The first to get an evolution in this game is good ol' Primeape, who evolves into Annihilape, a Fighting/Ghost evolution seemingly based on one of Sun/Moon's dex entries... and Sun/Moon always had a reputation for having more morbid dex entries. To quote, Primeape's Sun entry is "It has been known to become so angry that it dies as a result. Its face looks peaceful in death, however."
Now Primeape's evolution to Annihilape isn't based on Primeape actually dying, but rather using the brand-new move Rage Fist 20 times. A rather tame way for evolution, and I honestly kinda wished we had something that involves getting damaged similar to Hisuian Basculin or Galarian Yamask. But well, whatever the case, all of Primeape's built-up rage has caused him to evolve, allowing it to 'gain power that is unfettered by the limits of its physical body'.
And I do really like that, thankfully, unlike a fair amount of Primeape fan-made evolutions that make it into a more regularly-proportioned ape, Annihilape keeps Mankey and Primeape's very unconventional body shape of a ball of fur with limbs. It keeps a lot of Primeape's features, but makes it all a lot more... feral. The eyes are completely red. The spherical hairball body has grown all wild and ghostly. Love that the hair kind of trails off like flickering fire embers, seemingly implying that all the white 'fur' is some kind of ectoplasm. I also appreciate that the iron bangles that normally surround Primeape's arms have shattered, with the right bangle being gone entirely and the left one being broken. I've never been the biggest Mankey/Primeape fan, but this is a very serviceable evolution that adds just the right amount of twist to make it not boring.
4/6.#194 & #980: Paldean Wooper & Clodsire
WOOP WOOP! Wooper is one of those old Pokemon designs that I just consider 'classic', and we get a very adorable variant that focuses more on the 'mud' aspect of Wooper and Quagsire. Giving Wooper a mainly-brown colouration and swapping the 'fish-bone' gills for structures that resemble the crossbones under the skull in a poisonous symbol is genius! It makes the regional variant look distinct enough both colour-wise and visually (sorry, Tauros) and very easily communicates that it's Ground/Poison now.
As with most regional forms, we even have a little cute story about how this adaptation came about. Wooper in Paldea apparently lost a territorial struggle and ended up living on land, developing a poisonous film to protect its body. I do like the little description about how its hardened gills made it slow and forces it to go on land. Paldean Woopers also travel in groups through wetlands (they still live in bogs and swamps!) to protect themselves. I'm actually not quite sure which of the water-dwelling species in Southern Paldea managed to out-compete Wooper, though, and in any case the Paldean Woopers are still capable of swimming in water.
I guess it could also be based on how various real-life axolotl species are actually facing endangerment thanks to reckless destruction of their natural habitat, although it's unlikely that real-life axolotl could develop a land-dwelling, poisonous evolutionary adaptation as fast as Pokemon.
Instead of a Paldean Quagsire, we get a brand-new branching evolution, Clodsire, which... doesn't look quite as distinct from regular Quagsire as Persian and Perrserker did. But I love Clodsire loads! It takes the rather adorable Quagsire design, puts it on all fours, gives it adorable stubby legs and a body posture more similar to salamanders, and... it's adorable. I'm sorry. I really like Clodsire. It's such a... a clod! A charming baby!
And then you actually see Clodsire attack, and those light-brown dots that line down its spine extend out like weird tentacles. What the hell? Axolotl don't do that! Giant salamanders don't do that! What does, though? The Iberian ribbed newt, Pleurodeles waltl, which is able to puncture its poison-coated ribs through its skin as a defense mechanism. It's such an insanely metal thing that it doesn't sound real, but these ribbed newts will literally flex their ribcage bones out, coating them with venom as they do so, to pierce predators. Afterwards, their skin grows back over the ribcages pretty quickly. That's honestly a rather insane animal, and I absolutely love moments like this, when Pokemon takes a creature with such a cool real-life adaptation, and makes it into a very specific creature.
The real Iberian ribbed newt, ironically, is noted to be 'more aquatic-dwelling' than other European amphibians. While it's still Poison/Ground and doesn't gain the Water typing, it does have Water Absorb and the dex notes that it lives at the bottom of ponds and swamps, and are happy to ferry Woopers through these water bodies. That's adorable!
Anyway, I'd be happy enough with the typing and the visual appearance of Clodsire, which I prefer in all aspects compared to its Johtonian Quagsire cousins. But the rib-spine attacks just really make me really, really like him. And besides... can you really dislike that dopey-ass face?
6/6.#981: Farigiraf
Huh. Huh! Many Generation II Pokemon have been noted to be in sore need of updates, and ever since Generation IV, we've been seeing more and more of these underwhelming Johto Pokemon get evolutions, regional variants or other sorts of alternate forms. One of the few that had never received any attention is Girafarig... and the most exciting thing that has ever happened to poor Girafarig was the discovery of a pre-evolution in the Gold/Silver Betas, as well as previous drafts that arguably looked far more interesting than the final product.
And Girafarig evolves into a brand-new form after learning the move Twin Beam, the line's new signature move... and Farigiraf (its name in English and Japanese switches the palindrome) is... an interesting one. We finally get a giraffe Pokemon that looks like a giraffe instead of a mutant horse, and I do like the long neck and the more orange-y body. The chain chomp on Girafarig's tail has moved around the regular head, enveloping the giraffe head like a particularly funny hoodie. The dex describes the black portion as being hardened and allowing Farigiraf to whip its head around. The brainwaves of both heads have synced up, and the psychic powers are amplified. Oh, and it's got four horns, now, which is based on a Spanish-native prehistoric giraffe ancestor called Decennatherium.
And... I don't know. I really do think that the idea of a palindrome Pokemon with a 'good' and 'evil' side that Girafarig was originally intended to be was very interesting. You'd think that they would go for something a bit more sinister or interesting with this, with the tail-head taking over (permanently or temporarily) or that we get some Dark or Ghost powers to go with it. I also am not a big fan of shoving both heads on the same side of the body either, ruining the 'mirrored palindrome' aspect a bit. A solid design, if we're being honest, but one that I felt kinda misses the point of the original Pokemon a bit.
4/6.#982: Dudunsparce
Dudunsparce, on the other hand, doesn't miss the original point of Dunsparce! The whole joke about Dunsparce is that it's a dunce despite the fact that it's so sparse, the true clincher of a 'junk rare'. So I have always disliked all the fan evolutions for Dunsparce that turns it into an angelic couatl or a holy dragon or whatever... Dunsparce is a tsuchinoko, a Japanese cryptid that's completely and utterly powerless beyond being a weird-ass fat snake!
So what's the appropriate evolution of Dunsparce? Dunsparce, but bigger! And that's the whole point of Dudunsparce. It just adds another segment, another 'abdomen', and everything about Dunsparce is added by one. An extra stripe in the middle of his eye, an extra jaw-spike, an extra segment, the tail gets a bit fatter, and even its name gets an extra syllable. That's the whole joke. There's also a spiral shape on the underside of Dudunsparce's front-most segment, which is probably just there to make him look a bit more distinct. There are some who think Dudunsparce is based on the ultrabithorax mutation, which causes some fruit flies to develop two thoraxes. While it sure does resemble Dudunsparce, I really do think that the idea and the joke is just that -- it's a longer Dunsparce.
Just like so many other Pokemon with additional forms, Dudunsparce comes in two variants, which appears randomly. The more common two-segment form, and the much rarer three-segment form... which adds a third segment. Oh joy! That's hilarious! (The evolution method involves Dunsparce leveling up with Hyper Drill, a previously nonexistent move).
Dudunsparce is described to create holes into bedrock, creating long subterranean nests. It will suck in air and unleash that air in an intense blast to drive enemies out of its nest... though the three-segment ones will gently escort those that stumble into its nest back into the entrance. But, of course, Dudunsparce is still a pure Normal type... it's just that its stats are reasonably higher now. Anyway, I like Dudunsparce. It's never going to be my favourite Pokemon ever, but it's a fun little joke, and I find the joke funny. Not enough to give Dudunsparce anything higher than a 4, though.
4/6.#983: Kingambit
Our final evolution for an older Pokemon is for Bisharp. Which honestly kind of feels obligatory, and I'm actually surprised that we don't get a 'King' and a 'Queen' variant, considering that this is chess. No, male and female Bisharps all evolve into Kingambit, named after the King's Gambit, an aggressive chess opening. Bisharps that will evolve into Kingambit have to beat other Bisharps that are holding a specific item, a "Leader's Crest", and the resulting evolution, Kingambit is certainly... something.
Now the core concept of Bisharp is always a sentient chess piece humanoid made of blades, and Bisharp enhances this a whole lot. He's based on the stereotypical image of a Japanese shogun or a daimyo sitting imperiously on a throne... (even though this is a Spanish region) and the blades that Pawniard and Bisharp have are utterly exaggerated, with a gigantic blade on the center of its helmet, and two more blades forming a gigantic mustache that many people have (rightfully) compared with Whitebeard from One Piece. My favourite aspect of this are the 'ribcage' blades, which are already there form its pre-evolutions, extending to the side and looking honestly pretty mean.
Also, Kingambit is almost always sitting, with its 'hair' coiling down and turning into a little stool for him to sit. Kingambit will even scoot along (very quickly!) with his feet because he refuses to stand up, which is hilarious in the overworld, even if in battle this means that Kingambit is actually slower than its weakest form, Pawniard. Which... honestly, kinda makes sense, again, since the king is the least-mobile piece in chess.
Interestingly, despite being the final form of a chess-themed evolutionary line, Kingambit is noted to be utterly stupid in devising complex strategies, and just directs its troops in brute-force combat. The King's Gambit itself is one that sacrifices your pawns for a strategic advantage, and this is all reflected in Kingambit's signature ability Supreme Overlord, which buffs Kingambit for all your other Pokemon (or 'pawns') that had fallen before it enters the battlefield. Its signature move, Kowtow Cleave, meanwhile, kinda ties into its 'Dark' type where it makes a dogeza gesture where it looks like it's bowing down to apologize... but in reality swings down that big-ass head sword to cleave the enemy in twain.
Kingambit's pretty cool of a Pokemon. I just... it's just not really my thing? I don't know. Chess-themed monsters and enemies have been so common in other franchises, and I am constantly reminded of the Chessmons from Digimon. I get that giving Pawniard alternate 'Knight' and 'Rook' evolutions might be too much, but then they did give us like so many different Tauroses and Tatsugiris. I don't know. There's a lot of thought put into this design and I appreciate what they did here, for sure, but I'm kind of indifferent to this one.
3/6.
