Move over, Professor Sycamore. There’s a new daddy in town. (NSFW warning!)
Illustration: Sam Woolley
As many of you know, every Pokémon game comes with a Pokémon expert who guides you on your journey to catch ’em all. In the first generation of games/anime, we had good ‘ol professor Oak:
For a while, this was more or less the standard for Pokémon professors: older, wiser and kind of dad-like.
Then Pokémon X & Y happened:
Professor Sycamore, pictured above, was not like most Pokémon professors. He looked young. He looked hip. He looked fashionable. And as weird as it is to say about a Pokémon character, Sycamore looked, well… hot. Sure enough, a horny fanbase followed online.
Pokémon Sun and Moon are entirely new games of course, which means that they come with their own region-specific Pokémon academic. And for whatever reason, Pokémon developers Game Freak decided to up the ante in the professor’s design. Meet Professor Kukui:
Yes, that’s a shirtless Pokémon professor. Now, arguably, you could make the case that he’s shirtless for a reason: Pokémon Sun and Moon take cues from Hawaii, so the setting is probably tropical and hot. Still though. There’s something pretty damn extra about perpetually showing off your abs like that, especially in a game like Pokémon.
You might even ask yourself, “What’s the point of wearing a lab coat over nothing but bare skin?” There’s no way the coat offers any real protection. Which leads me to believe that the point is sexiness. Certainty, that’s the way most of the Pokémon fandom is parsing Kukui; many people believe that Kukui is intentionally designed to make players hot for teacher. Though Pokémon Sun and Moon aren’t actually out yet, Professor Kukui is already amassing a very thirsty fandom online.
Just today, The Pokémon Company dropped new footage of Kukui, along with a few new details about him. Players are eating it up. They have been since Kukui was revealed earlier this year, really:
They are trying SO hard to flaunt him. Sycamore had the charisma, but Kukui has the bod. #PokemonSunMoon
— X-mas Tree-Tail? (@GreenAuraLizard) June 2, 2016
WHEN PROFESSOR SYCAMORE REALIZES THAT HE HAS COMPETITION WITH PROFESSOR KUKUI pic.twitter.com/wDnSzEcycv
— ✨vero✨ (@woahtherevero) June 2, 2016
Prof Kukui confirmed as first fuccboi professor as Nintendo reaches out to gay fans.
— Ribombae (@MegaTogekiss) June 2, 2016
prof kukui is daddy af
— celi ⛄❄ (@nymphaIii) June 2, 2016
Someone: hey what do you think of professor kukui
Me: pic.twitter.com/Ix9fCqxSXA— corn prices (@ilovehanzo) June 2, 2016
cuck me kukui
— Beardoof ? (@Electivirus) June 2, 2016
professor kukui made me gay
— nova ?✨ (@denshibunny) June 2, 2016
professor kukui can fuck me up
— ? Stammi Vicino ? (@viktuurious) June 2, 2016
I WANNA BE CHOCK FULL OF KUKUI. pic.twitter.com/WuvFz52ZCd
— George Universe (@SilurianRanger) June 2, 2016
i can’t wait to check rule 34 for porn of professor kukui
— ☤ (@papermassacred) June 2, 2016
One thing the fandom has latched onto is Game Freak’s description of Kukui’s research style. Kukui has apparently “taken direct hits from Pokémon when there was something to be learned from it”. This seemingly innocuous detail has only fanned the flames, as some fans fantasise about what this could look like in action:
has kukui ever taken care of a tentacruel? just asking for a friend.
— @ Lucky☆Lucky (@RanShibukis) June 2, 2016
I can practically hear the Sycamore X Kukui Fanfics being written. Pokemon’s been giving us some nice lookin profs?? pic.twitter.com/8aKDjIZypm
— Luna Powers (@lunamon97) June 2, 2016
kukui: okay machamp i need you to hit me as hard as you can with mega punch. I’ll be ok its for science
— Green (@personqwer) June 2, 2016
Eagle-eyed Pokémon players also noticed that Kukui appears to wear a wedding band, and this has prompted its own series of hilarious reactions as well:
professor kukui being a married man only makes him hotter imo
— ruben ferdinand? (@urbanfriendden) June 2, 2016
PLEASE DONT LET KUKUI BE MARRIED OR ENGAGED
— @ Lucky☆Lucky (@RanShibukis) June 2, 2016
*awaits theories of why Kukui has a wedding ring and what it means for his relationship with Sycamore*
— Mimikyuletide ? (@csmith03) June 2, 2016
Naturally, the fandom has gone into overdrive in its love for Kukui, and has gone ahead to whip up some intense Pokémon fan art and Photoshops. Hell, we threw our hat into the ring with a tasteful Kukui illustration up top, courtesy of our art team’s Sam Woolley.
Most images online follow suit, accentuating Kukui’s abs, chest hair, and sometimes even his dick. Yeah, what follows can be considered NSFW.
of course i had to draw him :’) #kukui #PokemonSunMoon pic.twitter.com/lm6MtgrOv2
— Kir (@jasdavi) May 22, 2016
i tried drawing Professor Kukui orz. emphasis on the word “tried” pic.twitter.com/cP8u4xPybW
— Professor Z (@Z9Labs) May 10, 2016
Created by: Doctor Anfelo
Mind, this is some of the tamer stuff out there. I’ve seen some wild shit, like professors from different generations banging each other. Nothing is sacred, because this is the internet.
The conspiracy theory floating around as a result is that Game Freak counted on this reaction though, and that they intentionally designed Kukui to get people riled up. Whatever you believe, know this: the thirst is real, and even games like Pokémon are not immune to it.
Comments
14 responses to “People Are Thirsty For Pokémon Sun And Moon’s Hot New Professor”
Huh. So that’s women feel like when a character is vastly sexualised by its fanbase. *Squrims uncomfortably*
Still, more power to em, and Nintendo. If any series needs whatever it can to prevent frpm stagnating, it’s pokemon.
Urgh! I hate how sexist the game industry is! All male characters are constantly designed for the female gaze, they have no agency. No, giving him a lab coat doesn’t suddenly make him an interesting character, that just turns him into a working fuck boy. He doesn’t even do his own work, he commands the player, the obvious heroin of the story, to do his work for him.
Men need better representation other than just being fap material for women!
…hang on, I think I got something backwards.
This is hilarious.
“taken direct hits from Pokémon when there was something to be learned from it”
….fan art for this is going to be awkward.
“Hip”? Really?
Suave definitely. Hip? Nope.
NSFW?
I thought the same, but then I saw that it’s in tiny bold print at the end of the first sentence.
Did you not see it in bold in the very first line of the article?
Title would be nice.
Why? If you couldn’t even read the first line, it’s pretty clear you’re here for the pictures.
Came for dank memes… was pretty disappointed.
I would really like it if you could stop objectifying men. Male characters aren’t there to be gawked at like a piece of meat! You people should be ashamed of yourselves. You sexists! MISANDRISTS!
This REMINDS ME OF… NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDIST BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHHHH
As a male I feel empowered by these images.
You go boy!
Maybe if I keep at the gym and working on my improving my diet I can rock an awesome six pack.
You’ve just been brain washed by the matriarchy! These images are merely a way to lower the self-esteem of men! Women want to keep us down by objectifying our bodies! Those cis, white females should just die! #KillAllWomen
Well hello. Have you seen the female beauty pageants ? Those are sexist lol