*i'm gonna change you like a remix*

[technicolorcage]

Now, I know many of you on my f-list don't like this 'new' Pokemon, but please bear with me. I'd like to express my opinion and theories on it.

Comments

[kyogres]

Well, Voltorb, Bronzor, and Roggenrola don't really have skeletons, imo. They're all made of inanimate objects (rocks/metal/plastic) and can move through hand-wavy video game/anime physics. I give them a pass because they're not really based on animals or an animal anatomical structure. Hoothoot's skeleton would be really compact and weird, but at least everything is in the right location, relatively speaking. I consider Mawile kind of a special case, even though it has something growing out of its head, because the Pokedex entry says that the steel jaws on its head are actually horns.

I just find it hard to believe that someone could create a Pokemon with a tail growing out of its head, either intentionally or unintentionally. Mewtwo is a humanized cat... or rabbit or kangaroo depending on who you talk to, but he is definitely based off some type of animal. The Pokemon that are based off vertebrate animals/humanoids all seem to follow the same general skeleton structure that is found in real life vertebrates. (I believe the right term is homology?) I know that mutations sometimes occur during embryonic development (for example, causing animals to grow extra limbs), but those limbs typically grow in the "correct" location. I don't think I've seen an animal with a tail growing out of its ribcage or head, for instance.

Of course, this is assuming that Newtwo's headtail does have bones and muscles in it. If it turns out that his headtail is just skin/fur shaped like a tail, skeleton homology becomes a moot point.

PS - Apologies if I got any of the scientific terms wrong. It's been a long time since I took a biology course, so I'm going off what I vaguely remember about the animal/vertebrate and evolution chapters.

(Yay, I'm excited! I've been looking for a karp keychain to put on my keys!)

[technicolorcage]

Right, but my point was that you can't put a 'one size fits all' label on a fictional character. They're only based on real animals, they aren't supposed to be real animals. Voltorb, Bronzor, and Roggenrola are all inanimate objects and therefore shouldn't be sentient, much less move around of their own volition and use fantastical powers/attacks. HootHoot shouldn't even be able to fly with those tiny wings in relation to its larger, spherical body, and the fact that the pokedex states that Mawile's extension are 'horns' is irrelevant; Mawile is able to move these 'horns' at will which suggests that it was an extension of the spine going out the back of its head to carry nerves to control the 'horns' and to give structural support/control. What I'm trying to say is that if you keep a high notion of realism to a video game then you're always going to find fault and/or be disappointed. I'm not saying you can't be disappointed if you find a design aesthetically unpleasing, but the sets of rules you use to judge how much you like or dislike a character isn't the same set of rules a game designer uses to create a character. I understand what you're trying to say, but they're still only fictional characters, they don't have to be constrained to our natural laws. That is part of the fun of fantasy characters in video games or any form of fictional work; creating a creature that doesn't exist in our world.

Well, if they can create a garbage pokemon, a pokemon that has a body that's just a blob and can morph into anything, or a pokemon that can change the weather just by existing on the field, then they can create a pokemon with an extension on its head that looks like a tail. Someone thought that design looked good and it was approved by someone at GameFreak, maybe even Ken Sugimori himself. And once again this all goes back to the fact that they are not designing real creatures, these are fictional creatures that have their own set of fictional rules that may or may not coincide with our own.

And you are technically using the term homology right. In biology it's defined as animals having similar structures/organs/etc under every variety of form and/or function due to a common ancestry. The reason why all tetrapod vertebrates share similar structures is because we share a common ancestor. Which, actually, could be used in this argument since Mew is supposedly the ancestor of all pokemon.

[kyogres]

I couldn't remember whether Mawile's horn-jaws could move or not. If they can move, I guess Mawile doesn't make sense either.

Which Pokemon can learn which moves is kind of ridiculous. Doduo can Fly but Scyther can't? How? I gave up on figuring out why Pokemon can learn certain moves, outside the obvious "sometimes it happens to keep the game balanced" reason. I'm nitpicky, but I'm not that nitpicky. If I was, I could never enjoy the games again.

I wish I could get past my realism hangups when it comes to Pokemon designs too, but for some reason I just can't. Ah well, it isn't the first time a design has bothered me due to the anatomy, and I'm sure it won't be the last time either. (I am slowly getting used to this Pokemon the more I see it, though the toes still kind of weird me out.)

[technicolorcage]

I agree with you there, and I think none of the bug pokemon that have wings can fly... Nevermind, just checked up on that and apparently there are only two bug pokemon that can learn Fly: Volcarona and Genesect. I think Dodou can learn Fly just purely because it's a flying type based on a bird (even though Ostriches, Emus, and Kiwis can't fly, either). I mean, if they were going with somewhat realistic in terms of what pokemon could use what move, why allow Dodou to learn Fly? I'm guessing that since it was the first game they didn't want to limit the pokemon the player could use Fly with (but it still doesn't make sense).

I think you're just fine with nitpicking however you want. Not getting so hung up on how a thing is supposed to look as opposed to how it's designed and such is just my opinion, because games are supposed to be fun, you know? c:

And the toes still weird me out as well. I don't think I'll ever fully get used to them.