Have you ever wondered what those statues outside the Kanto Gymnasium are? The same goes for the developers who worked on Pokemon Pokopia. There are a lot of theories, which we'll get into in a moment, but the important part is that Omega Force, and even Game Freak themselves, took the opportunity to ask the same questions we've all had for decades when designing their assets into useful works of art.
Pokopia has a score of 88 on Metacritic, one of the highest achievements the franchise has achieved. Players love this game for its deep gameplay systems, endless whimsy, and bright, pop aesthetic. As evidenced by the lampshading on the giant gym statue, the occasional sense of profanity is just another perk.
Personally, I always thought it looked like Chibi Marowak… with wings.
As Twitter user @KirbyCheatFurby (quite the name) points out, examining the statue will display the following text: “No one seems to know exactly what this statue is…” Yes, almost. Well, the theory has been running rampant for a long time. Statues also appear beyond the Kanto region. Although it has become much less widespread in recent generations, it undoubtedly needed to be much more detailed so all the questions could be asked. (It does appear in Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, though!)
Speculation abounded that it was based on Rhydon, which was said to be the first Pokémon designed by Game Freak. But I've seen conflicting statements about it. However, some research on my part led me to the Buneary hole (which I will never tell you about again) and Ken Sugimori himself seems to have confirmed that Rhydon was his first design. It is also the first Pokémon to be coded red and blue.
Even in Sword and Shield, the statue appears outside the arena. A real blast from the past. Fans were constantly speculating: Is it a baby Kangas Khan? Cubone without the helmet shell? A combination of multiple Pokemon? To me it looked like a little marowak with wings… for some reason. But Rhydon's theory seems to me to be the strongest theory. I'll take it.
Anyway, I think Pokémon Pokopia was quite fun to watch. If only the developers were given the power to provide canon confirmation once and for all… but that's always just wishful thinking, right?
There is a poster in Pocopia that mentions Pokemon Wind and Waves
Pokopia continues its long tradition of teasing future games with new releases.
