It’s no secret these days that the world of Pokémon can be a lot more horrifying than Nintendo would like you to believe. Whether it’s Driftloons kidnapping children or Ninetails cursing the descendants of their foes, Pokémon can be pretty terrifying when they want to be. As such, it should be no surprise that many Pokémon were based on old ghost stories from all over the world – but mostly Japan.
We’ve picked out some of the strangest and most disturbing stories that Game Freak turned into a beloved monster. If you’re looking for more Pokémon origin stories, then check out our recent rundown of Pokémon you didn’t know were based on real animals.
Mawile
Have you ever wondered why such a cute little creature as a massive hungry jaw coming out of the back of its head? Well, it’s based on an old Japanese legend where a two-mouthed woman called a Futakuchi, grows a second mouth out of her hair. There are several different versions of this tale, but the most popular reason for why she grows this mouth is because her cheap husband won’t feed her, this second mouth then greedily devours all the food it can find.
Shuppet and Banette
Banette’s Pokédex entry makes no bones about the idea that it is an abandoned old toy, brought to life to seek revenge on the child that left it behind. What you may not know is the myth this comes from. It takes the form of a creature known as a Tsukumogami, which is when an object has been around for 100 years, it comes to life. As someone who lost one or two beloved toys as a child, I plan to be ready in 100 years when they try to claim their vengeance.
Espeon
Everyone loves Espeon, but since we can’t have any nice things, it too has a disturbing origin. Its design is based on a split-tail cat known as a Nekomata, which is an extremely popular monster in Japan. Their eyes change depending on the time of day, they can speak to humans, and also force other living creatures to do their bidding – hence the psychic typing – now stay away from this hypnotic cat.
Lotad and Lombre
The Kappa is one of the more well-known creatures in the west that comes from Japanese mythology. Most people know it as a cute turtle monster that just can’t get enough of cucumber, but there’s a bit more to it than that. By “a bit more” we mean they drag people underwater, drown them, and then eat their souls – not just a cucumber crunching cute now, is it? Still, if you want to save your soul, simply bow at one. It will bow back and the water on the lilypad on its head will drain off, forcing it to wait until the rain can refill it.
Whiscash
No points for guessing that Whiscash’s design is based on a catfish, but to learn why it’s part Ground-type, we have to dig a little deeper. You see, Whiscash is based on a gigantic catfish that burrows tunnels underground, called a Namazu. In fact, Whiscash’s Japanese name is Namazun, making the connection even clearer.
This myth sprung from Japan’s relatively frequent earthquakes the company suffers from. Fishermen noticed that catfish often became more active and agitated shortly before an earthquake – and of course, back in the day, people naturally assumed they were somehow to blame. Today we know that catfish are much more sensitive to the tremors preceding an earthquake than humans, meaning they can sense when one will occur much earlier.
Written by Georgina Young and Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
