The Pokémon Company has revealed the Generation 9 Pokémon starters. Time to be bad parents and pick our favourite children.
This piece originally ran on Kotaku Australia on February 28, 2022. It has been republished as a weekend read.
In this morning’s Pokemon Presents showcase, we got a sneak peek at the next titles in the Pokémon franchise: Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.
The graphics are very reminiscent of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, although the note at the bottom of the trailer video mentions that ‘game footage is not final’, which could mean that they plan to tidy it up a little bit. Similarly once again to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we see Pokemon roaming around an open land. This could signal towards the possibility of an open-world title, although they could also go in the direct of Arceus and have a hub world with connected open areas.
Aside from the world and a brief glimpse at our playable character, the trailer also showed off the starter Pokémon that will be on offer in Generation 9. I made some incredibly wrong guesses on what these creatures names would be right after the presentation.
these are my name predictions pic.twitter.com/pxcbIKijQ5
— ruby innes (@rubyinnes) February 27, 2022
Personally, I think my guesses were pretty good. Not close in any way or realistic in any world, but I just think they’re neat. But alas, we also received a teensy bit more information on each of the Generation 9 Pokemon starters shortly after the presentation. Some of the most fun to be had pre-Pokémon release is deciding who we’re going to choose as our starters, so let’s chat!
The first new ‘mon off Pokemon starters rank is the weed cat, Sprigatito. That’s right, Game Freak’s tireless Pokétologists have extracted the DNA from a fat doink and mixed it with a little kitty. They said it couldn’t be done!
Sprigatito’s name comes from sprig, which is a small branch with leaves on it, and gatito, which is the Spanish word for ‘little cat’ or ‘kitten’. This, as well as the next starters name, might hint at the themes of the next Pokémon game having Spanish influences.
Sprigatito, as we know kittens are, is very cute. Cat Pokémon have always gotten love over the years, and rightly so. According to its Pokédex entry, Sprigatito is ‘capricious’ and ‘attention-seeking’, so basically it’s a cat. We love Sprigatito.
Next on the list of Pokémon starters is Bubble Bobble DLC character, Fuecoco. This Pokémon could also be known as the Amogus Lizard or even My Special Little Guy. I thought he might be called Applegeorge. This is because he resembles an apple and George is a nice name.
Fuecoco’s name comes from fuego, which is ‘fire’ in Spanish, and cocodrilo, which is ‘crocodile’ in Spanish. Once again, another nod to the possibility that this next Pokémon game could be Spanish-influenced.
Fuecoco looks like a goofy little guy. Very silly and clownish to me. According to its Pokédex entry, Fuecoco is ‘laid-back’ and ‘does things at its own pace’. As somebody who is incredibly high-strung and erratic, I admire the little beastie for its chill vibes. We love Fuecoco.
The last monster on the Pokémon starters list is Mandark from Dexter’s Laboratory. I’m told his real name is Quaxly, but that’s obviously not right. A little fancy boy, some could say. Getting real ‘Mummy dear, what’s for supper?’ energy from this guy.
Quaxly seems to be the only name that doesn’t have Spanish origins. Putting my genius brain to the task of decoding his name, I’m thinking that Quaxly is derived from ‘quack’. This is the sound a duck makes. This may also suggest that Quaxly is a gringo.
Quaxly’s Pokédex entry calls it ‘earnest and tidy’. This could be interpreted as the duckling being a narc. It could also suggest that it regularly vacuums the crumbs from its RGB mechanical keyboard. I personally think Quaxly looks very polite. We love Quaxly.
Now comes the big moment. I have a habit of almost always leaning towards Fire Pokémon. Could it be because I’m an Aries, or because I’m filled with unchecked rage? We’ll never know. In saying that, I do love Fuecoco, but I’m also drawn towards Sprigatito because it’s just so damn cute. That being said, Quaxly looks like the kind of Pokémon starter that will have a cool evolution, so it’s hard.
So how about you? Which of the Generation 9 Pokemon starters are you leaning towards? Let us know!
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