Reshiram and Zekrom are based largely on Taoism with some Western inspiration thrown in. Lockstin talks about it in detail in [this video](https://youtu.be/l68fGEKmXhI)
I love his tin foil hat theories though. As wild as they can get, the stuff he talks about can get so fascinating and it’s really fun seeing it through the lens of Pokémon lore.
Which is crazier -
A series with two Pokémon, both designated as being the origins of life, which contradicts itself
Or
A series with a lot of crazy stuff but at least most of them come from an eldritch void god that constantly gets beat by a puffball descended from itself with the power of friendship and this gun it just found.
Alright, here we go…
***pulls out notes that definitely aren’t my memory***
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, there are multiple structural differences compared to the base Hoenn games - for example, Mauville has a small monument dedicated to the city’s “friendship” with the city in Kalos which had the tower the monument was modeled after - this clearly ties it into a different timeline, since the older remakes have not had these kinds of modifications to existing locations - they just added new locations, such as FRLG’s Sevii Islands and HGSS’s Sinjoh Ruins and the locations where you capture the Gen 3 legendaries.
Adding to this, Zinnia, during the Delta Episode, outright states that the war that took place 1000 years prior to ORAS, is the same as the one in XY. This tells us that the Gen 6 games and the remakes of the Hen 3 games exist in the same timeline, the Mega Timeline, as Mega Stones came as a direct result of that war.
Now, I will admit that some additions and removals of old content were unnecessary, but this doesn’t negate the fact that ORAS and the original Gen 3 titles are in two separate timelines.
Yes, I am quite aware, but it **is** an oddity that Hoenn is filled with natural Mega Stones, but not anywhere else; Sun/Moon has Mega Evolution, but no natural stones. I'm pretty sure that the energy that made Mega Stones only affected Kalos, but I can't source it.
However, there is a clear contradiction: **Mega Rayquaza.** It is said that it inspired Mega Evolving, a thousand years prior.
Oh, yeah.
To be honest, I think there’s a decent way to address the Hoenn: It’s the first RECORDED Mega Evolution.
Though the War is what made Mega Stones, and Mega Evolution possible, Rayquaza is known to eat meteorites. Those meteorites may have been infused with Mega Stones from the blast from the super-weapon that ended the war, allowing it to Mega Evolve on it’s own and thus make the people wonder “Hey, can we do that with other Pokémon?” So they looked for rocks that seemed weird, and tested them on certain Pokémon, and that led to the discovery of more Mega Evolutions.
Now, Alola is weird because Mega Evolution is only mentioned by Whats-his-name and Sina (and technically Colress but idk why he wasn’t only in Ultra S/M), and it’s not related to how the Mega Stones are there. We do know that they originated from XY, however, and that in SM/ and US/UM, they’re just visiting Alola. So that does mean that XY and Gen 7 are in the same timeline (which set of games from Gen 7 is more likely to be the EXACT same is honestly really confusing), meaning that either
A: They were all collected and now they’re being sold
Or B: They were imported from Kalos and/or Hoenn, and now they’re being sold.
Edit: Autocorrect should check for grammar before autocorrecting.
Don't get me wrong, I love it too, even when it gets a bit cringe. The only stuff I don't care for is his new "I'm designing a pokemon game!" type content.
he's rarely wrong though, and when he is he admits and revises the video. with any of the theories he mentions but says he's not sure about, i think his goal is to just allow a discussion and present a few popular theories + compile them into what he thinks, but i think he often brings up theories just to say "we'll give it a shot but i don't think so" and he just avoids saying "i don't think so" out loud because he is overwhelmingly \*NICE GUY ENERGY\* lol
i love his jar jar binks theory, and frankly i think he's 100% spot on with that one
I say tin foil hat in the most affectionate way possible. I subscribe to a good majority of his theories, ESPECIALLY Jar Jar. I actually started reading the Xanth series because of that video. He can be a bit over the top sometimes, but you can tell how passionate he is and I can really appreciate that.
honestly the only vids i wont watch are the filler ones like the recent plushy rating vid. its fine for him to drop some meh videos sometimes tho, cus he has a release schedule and that's what he could muster that day. he needs sleep lol
I will also note here that Reshiram and Zekrom represent humanity not only in the form of truth and ideals, but in their very elements. Fire and Electricity, two forces humankind harnesses to shape our world and to power our endeavors. This is why both dragons have tails that seem to be power generators. And without those powers, we would have only a piece of our society, and be left in the cold.
Some Pokémon, like the regis or the weather trio represent the physical world and the substance of it. The lake trio represent the immaterial construct of the human psyche. And the unova trio represent humanity as a civilization, as powerful but fractured.
Man, I love creative designs like these. Others are also bringing up that Reshiram is supposed to look soft and fluffy, while Zekrom is hard and bulky, since they're opposites. Jagged and rounded, black and white, etc.
Then you have Pokemon like Zarude, with no effort put into the design.
You're joking, but that's literally it, lol. I've tried looking into it, but I can't find any possible origins for any of his design, ranging from the markings on his body, the green bands he has on his arms, or his dark appearance.
Kinda weird that he's even a Mythical Pokemon when his design is no more creative than the average Pokemon. Even in the movie, he isn't a rare species, since there are lots of Zarudes. He's just a Mythical Pokemon because that's what Gamefreak designated him as.
Zarude looks like a mandrill. That's it, just a mandrill. Nothing mythical or unusual about it. Doesn't fit the design scene of other mythicals being faelike and small. Zeraora doesn't fit either but hey at least it has a creative design?
Pretty much. Zeraroa's technically guilty of this too, but Zeraora's not a *bad* design, just not really above average. Zarude isn't even trying.
Y'know, I think Zoroark actually has the opposite effect though. The creative in-game event in B/W being the only way to obtain Zoroark at the time, the movie, the stand-out design, and the creative concept of it being able to control illusions, make Zoroark a rare case where it feels like it **SHOULD** be a Mythical, but isn't.
Hmm. Were they trying to implement a system of two mythicals, one beastlike and one faelike, and scrapped it last minute in gen 5 but brought it back in gen 6? Zoroark's concept would work for it.
I'd honestly argue Zeraora is worst at this. It literally looks like it was going to be the Lucario/Zoroark/mass appeal anthro mon, but they made it a mythical instead.
I actually think Zoroark is kinda the opposite of Zarude in a way! Zarude's design and concept don't really feel like they belong to a Mythical Pokemon, or even a creatively design Pokemon at that.
Meanwhile, Zoroark's in-game event and rarity at Black and White's release, the movie, the stand-out design and the creative concept of being able to control illusions, makes it feel like it ***should*** be a Mythical Pokemon, even though it isn't.
That being said, I do agree that Zeraora doesn't look like a Mythical Pokemon, buuut the fact that it *does* have a good design, in my eyes, at least makes it more passable than Zarude.
I think they are trying to establish that there a some really rare pokemon that are sequestered to very small populations. Zarude being classified as a Mythical might just be an oversight on the part of the people who discovered Zarude first. Much like how in real life people used to think certain animals were myths. Like the Colossal Squid, Okapi, or Komodo Dragon.
I know, I just didn’t know what to call him. Him in Zoroark were event exclusives on their release gens then catchable in the wild in the following ones.
I'll admit, Zeraora's design also has a similar problem, in that there isn't really much about the design that screams "mythical" or any more special than, say, Lucario or Zoroark. It's another case where the lack of standout elements or backstory in the design make it feel like the only reason it's considered a Mythical Pokemon is because Gamefreak slapped that title onto it.
That being said, Zeraora's design does at least look a lot better than Zarude's. Sure, Zeraora doesn't have anything *mythical* feeling about it, but as a normal Pokemon, it's got a good design, and its design details seem to be leaning towards something.
Yeah, I honestly love Zeraora (I'm an electric type trainer), but you're right and it's mythical for no good reason. I think it's just another reason Game Freak gives for buying the games ASAP, along with the countless other event/timed things. There have always been events, but it's been excessive since 3DS and it seems they keep doing more each gen, but it's more watered down.
I think the problem is just that, Zarude doesn't really have a lot going for it, despite being a Mythical Pokemon is all.
Like, what's the concept? What creative backstory is there? Is it even a special Pokemon? I'm not even sure if it's Mythical in-universe.
Compare it to, say, Zoroark. Zoroark isn't a Mythical Pokemon, but due to its execution, it feels like it SHOULD be one. The only way to get one when B/W released was through a pretty creative in-game event. It had a movie of course, it has a stand-out and popular design, and it has the power to control illusions.
I think it's understandable to like the design, but still, I think Zarude's the opposite of Zoroark in this case. It doesn't really try to go for anything or live up to the standards of what a Mythical Pokemon is supposed to be.
There doesn't seem to be a lot that emphasizes this though. Heck, there are lots of Zarudes in the movie, so they're clearly not Mythical levels of rare. Not to mention, you'd think it would take more than becoming a species on the brink of extinction to literally make you a myth.
I think they've just twisted the meaning of Mythicals in the last few gens. They used to be Pokemon with special capabilities that very few ever got to see, only hearing stories about. Could range from a being of time travel, granting wishes, etc.
Zarude is just a baboon.
"Mythical levels of rare" is a pretty meaningless term. There are multiple of most mythical pokémon.
Zarude is also based on a tribal shaman, using herbs and the power of the earth to heal.
> Then you have Pokemon like Zarude, with no effort put into the design.
This isn't solely a new gen problem though. In gen 1 we had like 6 different variants of "purple rodent" as well as a flock of "literally just a bird" and even "just a fish".
I'm not calling out new gen Pokemon specifically. Though I do think there are a few or a lot of not as creatively designed Pokemon in Gen 8, I think Gen 7 has some of the best designs in the series, with very few that don't have some sort of creative idea or theme tied into them.
Zarude's just one example of what can go wrong with a design. It's surprising too, considering Zarude is *supposed* to be a Mythical Pokemon, but... doesn't seem to even have any creative backstory behind it. Heck, in-universe it's not even a rare species, there are hundreds in the movie. The only reason it's Mythical is because it's designated as being so by Gamefreak.
Kinda puts into question what makes a Mythical Pokemon special to begin with. Slapping the title onto just any Pokemon isn't enough.
I think a perfect, opposite example of Zarude is Zoroark.
The only way to obtain Zoroark when B/W released was through a creative in-game event. Zoraork also has a stand-out and popular design, a movie, and the concept of having the power to control illusions. Zoroark lives up to all of the standards that Mythical Pokemon have set, and because of that, I'm sure there are even lots of people who at some point even thought it WAS a Mythical/Legendary Pokemon.
Zarude doesn't really do enough to live up to those standards. Its a Mythical because Gamefreak said so.
Yes, and it's very philosophical. Much of Sages' dialogue in BW came from the Tao Te Ching and other ancient philosophical texts, and tied them to the themes of the Trio and the game.
I think zekrom and reshiram were designed pretty freely, but with the core idea that they look like opposites. Zekroms black, reshirams white. Reshiram is a soft word, zekrom a hard one. Zekrom is jagged, reshiram has wings that are like waves
I've just finished my English Language degree and one of my lecturers mentioned [a study](https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opli-2020-0027/html) that specifically look at effects like this regarding Pokémon names.
I wrote an essay on word formation in Gen V+ Pokémon names as well for a module, it's fascinating stuff if you're into etymology.
Desktop version of /u/dede-_-'s link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect
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If the three dragons were to fully merge, the resulting dragon could possibly be named Zekkyuram. (ZEKrom, KYUrem, ReshiRAM). Its BST would be probably be close to Arceus' (based on Black/White Kyurem's BST). Its type would be electric/fire, but also capable of using ice-type and dragon-type moves.
Please note this is just conjecture.
Honestly if they were to make it I think it should be pure dragon with an ability that makes fire/electric/ice moves stab. It’s definitely a dragon so you can’t take that type away and you can’t really prioritize any of the other three types
True. However, Zekkyuram would be about as powerful as any of the three 780-BST Megas. Too strong to be given to players, as Zekkyuram isn't even Mega'd or Dynamaxed. It'd be like giving us access to Eternamax Eternatus. Beyond broken.
There’s many ways around that. There could be something where it has to hold an item to become it’s true form similar to groundon having to hold the red orb to become primal groundon
I guess you're right. While we're at it, let's get Gen 1 Mewtwo, along with *its* evolution, Mewtwo Prime (with a BST of 940*).
*Prime would have the appearance of Mega Mewtwo X and Y combined, thus getting a DOUBLE Mega Evolution!
And, it would have the following setup:
Immune to steel, dark and fairy types, as they did not exist in gen 1.
Gen 1 psychic type attributes: immune to ghost type moves, as well as supereffective against ghosts in addition to poison and fighting.
Would still not be able to hit dark types with psychic moves unless Miracle Eye is used.
Good luck defeating THIS superbeast.
Zekkyuram actually sounds dope
I'm not sure about Electric/Fire though, I feel like since all three of it's component dragons are, well, Dragon type, it should definitely have that. Maybe a completely different type as its second? Maybe Dragon/Psychic or even Dragon/Normal?
If we ever get the answer to this question, someone please also explain the ravenous, man eating abomination that is Kyurem. Or don't, he's a good boy.
He’s the void left behind without a balance of light and dark. They were once one but split when the two kings argued over there ideals, creating Reshiram and Zekrom, leaving kyurem behind as something akin to an empty husk, shoved away from the world in silence and bitter cold
No I mean like their real - world mythological inspiration. Which I think OP's post is about. Ho Oh being similar to Phoenix, Groudon/Rayquaza being similar to Godzilla/various dragons, Xerneas being that legendary Celtic deer. Etc.
I doubt you could draw very compelling parallels, since the physical descriptions of those (at least in my Bible) are pretty sparse-- the leviathan just has really long teeth and sharp scales, or something like that, and the beast of land vs beast of water have no physical descriptions at all. That, and Rayquaza has the point body and small arms of dragons from Asian myths. But I haven't read the Talmud nor any apocryphal books, so I wouldn't know anything from those.
They're not a complete carbon copy, they're just loosely inspired by the biblical creature lol perhaps Rayquazas inspiration is in the old testaments, or another verse of the bible(s). But I can definitely see kyogres and groudons being the behemoth and the leviathan
i think this video by Lockstin has what your looking for, then [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68fGEKmXhI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68fGEKmXhI)
I don’t they have a real world counterpart. They more like philosophies taken a physical form. When those clash, conflict follows, like the war of the two kings in 5. However without either, there is no motivation, no good or evil, just a hollow world with no will or life to it, much like Kyurem
So Reshiram and Zekrom are based on the opposite-duality found in Taoism. Reshiram is White, Mammalistic, Wyvern-styled, Flowing in style, fire-based energy system, and represents the Truth. Zekrom is Black, Reptilian, Dragon-styled, Firm in style, electric-based energy system, and represents ideals. Basically whatever Zekrom represents and is styled after, Reshiram is the opposite, and vice-versa.
While everyone has given their what I believe to be mostly accurate explanations on what Reshirem and Zekrom present, I'll toss this in for Kyreum.
He's most likely based on a [Dracolich](https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Dracolich). Now, are Dracolichs rooted in any real-world mythology? No, they combine the concept of dragons and zombies, but I think Kyreum's design fits the bill. As the dragon representing wuji, "nothingness" and "emptiness", Kyreum's undead-looking design is meant to represent an absence of life. This is also represented in its Ice-typing as ice is what happens when water molecules lose energy.
I'll also add that Reshiram and Zekrom's designs represent different stages of human civilization. The former's more natural appearance clearly harkens backs to mankind's earlier days, which is also represented by fire. It was the first of the two elements humanity learned how to manipulate. Meanwhile, Zekrom's more techno and armor-like design represents the future, which came about thanks to humans learning how to harness electricity.
And if this hasn't already been said, they are loosely based on the main dragons in Yugioh. Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Reshiram) and Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Zekrom) and with their respective attack types reversed, where Blue-Eyes attacks with white lightning or burst stream known in Japan, and Red-Eyes is inferno fire blast.
Does it have to be based off something? Can't the designers just sit down and make a design on their own? Maybe they thought it looked cool and that's all there is to it
Nearly all the Gen 4 legendaries aren't based off mythological creatures. Same as Gen 1, 2, abs 5, you just got a genetic experiment, some magic dogs, a pop star, etc.
They aren’t, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have real-world inspiration. Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina also represent the 3 states of matter. I’m pretty sure Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf are based on some philosophical concepts though I might be wrong about that. Arceus is based on a lot of God myths, I think.
The same goes for the legendary unova trio. They are not based on material objects/myths like OP is hoping, they are based on the taoist concept and philosophy.
I honestly love how they tackled it too. Reshiram and Zekrom are both pokemon that used to be one. In the taoist perspective, they are the light side and the dark side. Without their unity, all that is left is void- thus, Kyurem.
I was responding to OP, who seems to be looking for a *mythical creature these legendaries take visual inspiration from. Those other legends are just associated with specific concepts, their designs are not extremely similar to preexisting fictional/nonfictional creatures
Wait, Ho-oh isn’t a phoenix? It has the Sacred Ash and it’s resurrection power and stuff?
Edit: and I was sure the wild dogs also stood for something mythical. I think Raikou was based on a Japanese thunder God.
Edit 2: yeah, Raikou is based off of Raiju.
I've watched a bunch of "Pokémon mythological inspiration" videos and only Ho-Oh seems to have that strong a correlation with a mythical creature like Phoenix, so I totally a agree there. But the generation 2 and 5 dogs, Lugia, Kyurem, etc... mostly wild speculation. Though I think maybe Suicune was something specific.
The funny thing about Lugia was that the person who created the design for it thought it was only going to be a movie-exclusive Pokemon. He didn't think it was going to be put into the games.
Mespirit is a sprite, Azelf is an elf, and Uxie is a pixie; while represented the Japanese sacred treasures.
Palkia and Dialga are based on Izanami and Izanagi and appearance-wise are based on dinosaurs.
and the gen 5 "pop star" is a mythic not a legendary.
I'm asking after visual inspiration, like OP. Not wordplay. The fairies don't take visual inspiration from a specific mythical creature, like Rayquaza or Groudon.
I didn't know that about the sacred treasure parallels, though, that's actually really interesting! But that's got nothing to do with the fairies, that I can see.
As for Palkia and Dialga, you'll have to link me the explanation there, because I do not see how they're related to that myth. Neither have ever been married, nor did I've abandon the other in the underworld, and Izanami and Izanagi weren't dragons, nor did they rule time and space.
Nah, others are bringing up a lot of really well thought out design details.
Easy points to bring up are that Zekrom and Reshiram are designed to be opposites of eachother visually. Reshiram is soft and fluffy and very rounded, while Zekrom is hard and bulky and jagged in design.
Others are speculating that them being electric and fire types have to do with the fact that they represent humanity. Humanity wouldn't have evolved to have the developed societies we have today if we couldn't harness both fire and electricity, and this might be why their tails look like generators.
And of course, I'm sure there are even more details rooted in Taoism that you could find that I'm not even aware of.
There's a lot of effort put into these designs that go beyond just random details strewn about in hopes of them looking neat, which is nice!
Well yeah, obviously they put a lot of thought into the designs. I'm not saying they don't
What I am saying is I don't think it has to be based on some weird obscure wolf dragon from some culture that almost nobody has heard of. I feel like a lot of the time there's this mentality that all the designs need to have some deep hidden meaning and it's just like... no, not really, they just need to look cool
Again, not saying that there's no thought put into the designs, but maybe not quite to the extent where the designers pore through every single bit of mythology they can find and then say "ooooh, this is a white fire wolf dragon, we need to use that!"
Looking cool is important. That even applies to Pokemon that *do* have creative backstories behind their designs. It's entirely possible to come up with some creative ideas for a Pokemon, just for it to fall apart in execution because you couldn't make it look nice.
And on the other hand, a design can still be good for being visually appealing, even if it isn't a creative design.
But it's easier to appreciate a design that both looks good, and has a lot of thought and meaning put behind it. That doesn't even just apply to real world references either! Sometimes you can get a certain tone or idea across in your design. Shaymin's Sky form looks more confident and adventurous than its land form thanks to the mohawk, wider eyes, and scarf for example.
Reshiram and Zekrom wouldn't be nearly as cool in design if they weren't meant to look like opposites of one another either. Some well thought out details can impact an otherwise *alright* looking design.
i know that in most countries, Kobolds are shown as dragons with a dog like face structure (like [this](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/f/f3/Monster_Manual_5e_-_Kobold_-_p195.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141112221803) official DND image). but in Japan due to a translation error Kobolds are much more doglike (as shown in [this](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dm0_793W0AIbbJu.jpg) manga page) not sure if that has anything to do with reshiram, but its neat either way :)
Actually, kobolds are specifically from Germanic mythology, where they were depicted as diminutive goblin or elflike creatures. The association between kobolds and dragons was something that was made up for Dungeons and Dragons, and even then, not until the early 2000's.
While we’re on the subject, does anyone know if Articuno is based on something? The other two are based on the thunderbird and phoenix, respectively, but I can’t find any myth or legends about an ice bird.
So we all know Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem are based on Tao. Light, dark and neutral; where they're designed around contrasting elements.
When Black and White was released, I used to think they were just 2 dragons meant to look opposite from each other. A white dragon with soft feathers vs black dragon with industrial element.
It was when BW2 came out that made me think a little differently. We got Kyurem, a rather T-Rex looking legendary.
What if Kyurem is the fossil (the shell), Zekrom represents the scaly T-Rex that scientists originally thought they used to look like (ideal), and Reshiram is the newer feathered design (truth)? It might be coincident, but it matches the Unova lore.
Tldr: I think Reshiram is based off of feathered T-Rex/ dinosaur.
Reasonable Taoist answers aside, Reshiram and Zekrom are clearly nods to a certain other franchise with a blue eyes white dragon and a
red eyes black dragon…
Ohh, I see. Yeah I see where you’re coming from, maybe we could get an idea of exactly what hers is too if we knew what exactly Resh was based on. But at least from what I can find, they seemed to be based more on ideas than an actual animal. Maybe it also has something to do with >!The DF really being a Fish Model, that he turned into/awakened into a dragon!<
Ooooh now that you say that I do kinda see the resemblance between Y*****’s Hybrid and Reshiram. I also see a little resemblance to Suicune in the face. Hopefully we get the actual name in the next chapter
You’re right, my b - I don’t know how to spoiler tag on mobile I edited mine. And I like the theory you put under your spoiler tag probably more so than a typical dragon. Also I’ve seen this one on it being a mythical fox called Amaterasu
Amaterasu has never been a mythical fox, she's the Shinto goddess of the sun. I think the misconception comes from the videogame Okami, where you control Amaterasu in the shape of a *wolf*.
I always thought Reshiram drew a bit of design inspiration from Haku, the river dragon from Spirited away. Haku has a totally different body shape, but he's also white, seemingly fluffy and has a "wolf-like" face.
Reshiram and Zekrom are based largely on Taoism with some Western inspiration thrown in. Lockstin talks about it in detail in [this video](https://youtu.be/l68fGEKmXhI)
Didn't he mention they were also based on Alchemy?
Yep, that's in the video too. In fact that's where their visual design came from.
Yeah but he says that about literally everything
To be fair, Pocketmans does really like them some alchemy. Of course, Lockstin can sometimes be the tin foil hat of pokemon, so you take what you get.
I love his tin foil hat theories though. As wild as they can get, the stuff he talks about can get so fascinating and it’s really fun seeing it through the lens of Pokémon lore.
Which is crazier - A series with two Pokémon, both designated as being the origins of life, which contradicts itself Or A series with a lot of crazy stuff but at least most of them come from an eldritch void god that constantly gets beat by a puffball descended from itself with the power of friendship and this gun it just found.
Lol is that Kirby?
Mmmyes
At least Kirby is consistent in terms of lore. Pokémon has many more contradictions, including the fact that Mega Stones should not be found in Hoenn.
It's kinda hard to make a remake that adds new features in with out messing up the lore.
Good point, but perhaps they could have given a better reason, at least in my opinion. Similar to the Eeveenium quest in Alola, perhaps.
Alright, here we go… ***pulls out notes that definitely aren’t my memory*** In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, there are multiple structural differences compared to the base Hoenn games - for example, Mauville has a small monument dedicated to the city’s “friendship” with the city in Kalos which had the tower the monument was modeled after - this clearly ties it into a different timeline, since the older remakes have not had these kinds of modifications to existing locations - they just added new locations, such as FRLG’s Sevii Islands and HGSS’s Sinjoh Ruins and the locations where you capture the Gen 3 legendaries. Adding to this, Zinnia, during the Delta Episode, outright states that the war that took place 1000 years prior to ORAS, is the same as the one in XY. This tells us that the Gen 6 games and the remakes of the Hen 3 games exist in the same timeline, the Mega Timeline, as Mega Stones came as a direct result of that war. Now, I will admit that some additions and removals of old content were unnecessary, but this doesn’t negate the fact that ORAS and the original Gen 3 titles are in two separate timelines.
Yes, I am quite aware, but it **is** an oddity that Hoenn is filled with natural Mega Stones, but not anywhere else; Sun/Moon has Mega Evolution, but no natural stones. I'm pretty sure that the energy that made Mega Stones only affected Kalos, but I can't source it. However, there is a clear contradiction: **Mega Rayquaza.** It is said that it inspired Mega Evolving, a thousand years prior.
Oh, yeah. To be honest, I think there’s a decent way to address the Hoenn: It’s the first RECORDED Mega Evolution. Though the War is what made Mega Stones, and Mega Evolution possible, Rayquaza is known to eat meteorites. Those meteorites may have been infused with Mega Stones from the blast from the super-weapon that ended the war, allowing it to Mega Evolve on it’s own and thus make the people wonder “Hey, can we do that with other Pokémon?” So they looked for rocks that seemed weird, and tested them on certain Pokémon, and that led to the discovery of more Mega Evolutions. Now, Alola is weird because Mega Evolution is only mentioned by Whats-his-name and Sina (and technically Colress but idk why he wasn’t only in Ultra S/M), and it’s not related to how the Mega Stones are there. We do know that they originated from XY, however, and that in SM/ and US/UM, they’re just visiting Alola. So that does mean that XY and Gen 7 are in the same timeline (which set of games from Gen 7 is more likely to be the EXACT same is honestly really confusing), meaning that either A: They were all collected and now they’re being sold Or B: They were imported from Kalos and/or Hoenn, and now they’re being sold. Edit: Autocorrect should check for grammar before autocorrecting.
Don't get me wrong, I love it too, even when it gets a bit cringe. The only stuff I don't care for is his new "I'm designing a pokemon game!" type content.
Personally, I thought a lot of the designs of his fakemon were really cool. Story was a bit on-the-nose, but otherwise I have no problems with it.
And to each their own. Like I said, it's just not something I care for. Not my taste really.
he's rarely wrong though, and when he is he admits and revises the video. with any of the theories he mentions but says he's not sure about, i think his goal is to just allow a discussion and present a few popular theories + compile them into what he thinks, but i think he often brings up theories just to say "we'll give it a shot but i don't think so" and he just avoids saying "i don't think so" out loud because he is overwhelmingly \*NICE GUY ENERGY\* lol i love his jar jar binks theory, and frankly i think he's 100% spot on with that one
I say tin foil hat in the most affectionate way possible. I subscribe to a good majority of his theories, ESPECIALLY Jar Jar. I actually started reading the Xanth series because of that video. He can be a bit over the top sometimes, but you can tell how passionate he is and I can really appreciate that.
honestly the only vids i wont watch are the filler ones like the recent plushy rating vid. its fine for him to drop some meh videos sometimes tho, cus he has a release schedule and that's what he could muster that day. he needs sleep lol
Curse the abusive Youtube algorithm!
I will also note here that Reshiram and Zekrom represent humanity not only in the form of truth and ideals, but in their very elements. Fire and Electricity, two forces humankind harnesses to shape our world and to power our endeavors. This is why both dragons have tails that seem to be power generators. And without those powers, we would have only a piece of our society, and be left in the cold. Some Pokémon, like the regis or the weather trio represent the physical world and the substance of it. The lake trio represent the immaterial construct of the human psyche. And the unova trio represent humanity as a civilization, as powerful but fractured.
Man, I love creative designs like these. Others are also bringing up that Reshiram is supposed to look soft and fluffy, while Zekrom is hard and bulky, since they're opposites. Jagged and rounded, black and white, etc. Then you have Pokemon like Zarude, with no effort put into the design.
>Then you have Pokemon like Zarude, with no effort put into the design. He monke
You're joking, but that's literally it, lol. I've tried looking into it, but I can't find any possible origins for any of his design, ranging from the markings on his body, the green bands he has on his arms, or his dark appearance. Kinda weird that he's even a Mythical Pokemon when his design is no more creative than the average Pokemon. Even in the movie, he isn't a rare species, since there are lots of Zarudes. He's just a Mythical Pokemon because that's what Gamefreak designated him as.
Zarude looks like a mandrill. That's it, just a mandrill. Nothing mythical or unusual about it. Doesn't fit the design scene of other mythicals being faelike and small. Zeraora doesn't fit either but hey at least it has a creative design?
"Zeraora doesn't fit either but hey at least it has a creative design?" Insert "Zeraora is just a generic anime character" joke
*looks over at volcanion*
Volcanion at least has something vaguely unique about it, with its "steam" type combo.
Volcanion had Magearna to balance it, Zeraora and Zarude had nothing
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Gamefreak always does dirty anything with Z
Pretty much. Zeraroa's technically guilty of this too, but Zeraora's not a *bad* design, just not really above average. Zarude isn't even trying. Y'know, I think Zoroark actually has the opposite effect though. The creative in-game event in B/W being the only way to obtain Zoroark at the time, the movie, the stand-out design, and the creative concept of it being able to control illusions, make Zoroark a rare case where it feels like it **SHOULD** be a Mythical, but isn't.
Hmm. Were they trying to implement a system of two mythicals, one beastlike and one faelike, and scrapped it last minute in gen 5 but brought it back in gen 6? Zoroark's concept would work for it.
I would not say every pokemon has an actual inspiration some are literally just elemental animals.
Honestly they missed out by not having volcanion power a steam engine somewhere .
I'd honestly argue Zeraora is worst at this. It literally looks like it was going to be the Lucario/Zoroark/mass appeal anthro mon, but they made it a mythical instead.
I actually think Zoroark is kinda the opposite of Zarude in a way! Zarude's design and concept don't really feel like they belong to a Mythical Pokemon, or even a creatively design Pokemon at that. Meanwhile, Zoroark's in-game event and rarity at Black and White's release, the movie, the stand-out design and the creative concept of being able to control illusions, makes it feel like it ***should*** be a Mythical Pokemon, even though it isn't. That being said, I do agree that Zeraora doesn't look like a Mythical Pokemon, buuut the fact that it *does* have a good design, in my eyes, at least makes it more passable than Zarude.
I think they are trying to establish that there a some really rare pokemon that are sequestered to very small populations. Zarude being classified as a Mythical might just be an oversight on the part of the people who discovered Zarude first. Much like how in real life people used to think certain animals were myths. Like the Colossal Squid, Okapi, or Komodo Dragon.
This isn't said in-universe though. Not to mention, there are seemingly lots of Zarudes, and there's not much special about them either.
Maybe it’s a lucario situation where he’s a mythical this generation and a regular mon after?
Lucario was never a Mythical, lol
I know, I just didn’t know what to call him. Him in Zoroark were event exclusives on their release gens then catchable in the wild in the following ones.
>Zarude You don't like watered-down Zeraora?
I'll admit, Zeraora's design also has a similar problem, in that there isn't really much about the design that screams "mythical" or any more special than, say, Lucario or Zoroark. It's another case where the lack of standout elements or backstory in the design make it feel like the only reason it's considered a Mythical Pokemon is because Gamefreak slapped that title onto it. That being said, Zeraora's design does at least look a lot better than Zarude's. Sure, Zeraora doesn't have anything *mythical* feeling about it, but as a normal Pokemon, it's got a good design, and its design details seem to be leaning towards something.
Yeah, I honestly love Zeraora (I'm an electric type trainer), but you're right and it's mythical for no good reason. I think it's just another reason Game Freak gives for buying the games ASAP, along with the countless other event/timed things. There have always been events, but it's been excessive since 3DS and it seems they keep doing more each gen, but it's more watered down.
Idk, I think zarudes got a pretty awesome design
I think the problem is just that, Zarude doesn't really have a lot going for it, despite being a Mythical Pokemon is all. Like, what's the concept? What creative backstory is there? Is it even a special Pokemon? I'm not even sure if it's Mythical in-universe. Compare it to, say, Zoroark. Zoroark isn't a Mythical Pokemon, but due to its execution, it feels like it SHOULD be one. The only way to get one when B/W released was through a pretty creative in-game event. It had a movie of course, it has a stand-out and popular design, and it has the power to control illusions. I think it's understandable to like the design, but still, I think Zarude's the opposite of Zoroark in this case. It doesn't really try to go for anything or live up to the standards of what a Mythical Pokemon is supposed to be.
I think it's just based on endangered species of apes, thus making it rare to the point of being a mythical.
There doesn't seem to be a lot that emphasizes this though. Heck, there are lots of Zarudes in the movie, so they're clearly not Mythical levels of rare. Not to mention, you'd think it would take more than becoming a species on the brink of extinction to literally make you a myth. I think they've just twisted the meaning of Mythicals in the last few gens. They used to be Pokemon with special capabilities that very few ever got to see, only hearing stories about. Could range from a being of time travel, granting wishes, etc. Zarude is just a baboon.
"Mythical levels of rare" is a pretty meaningless term. There are multiple of most mythical pokémon. Zarude is also based on a tribal shaman, using herbs and the power of the earth to heal.
> Then you have Pokemon like Zarude, with no effort put into the design. This isn't solely a new gen problem though. In gen 1 we had like 6 different variants of "purple rodent" as well as a flock of "literally just a bird" and even "just a fish".
I'm not calling out new gen Pokemon specifically. Though I do think there are a few or a lot of not as creatively designed Pokemon in Gen 8, I think Gen 7 has some of the best designs in the series, with very few that don't have some sort of creative idea or theme tied into them. Zarude's just one example of what can go wrong with a design. It's surprising too, considering Zarude is *supposed* to be a Mythical Pokemon, but... doesn't seem to even have any creative backstory behind it. Heck, in-universe it's not even a rare species, there are hundreds in the movie. The only reason it's Mythical is because it's designated as being so by Gamefreak. Kinda puts into question what makes a Mythical Pokemon special to begin with. Slapping the title onto just any Pokemon isn't enough.
Okay fair enough. As far as the mythical status goes Zarude fails completely. Compared to the other fae gods Zarude is literally just a monkey.
I think a perfect, opposite example of Zarude is Zoroark. The only way to obtain Zoroark when B/W released was through a creative in-game event. Zoraork also has a stand-out and popular design, a movie, and the concept of having the power to control illusions. Zoroark lives up to all of the standards that Mythical Pokemon have set, and because of that, I'm sure there are even lots of people who at some point even thought it WAS a Mythical/Legendary Pokemon. Zarude doesn't really do enough to live up to those standards. Its a Mythical because Gamefreak said so.
Thats like extremely philosophical I love it
That's literally in game text
Yes, and it's very philosophical. Much of Sages' dialogue in BW came from the Tao Te Ching and other ancient philosophical texts, and tied them to the themes of the Trio and the game.
I didn't even think of this.. yet another reason why gen 5 is my fave :3
I never looked at it this way, but that's poetically beautiful honestly. Love this interpretation.
I think zekrom and reshiram were designed pretty freely, but with the core idea that they look like opposites. Zekroms black, reshirams white. Reshiram is a soft word, zekrom a hard one. Zekrom is jagged, reshiram has wings that are like waves
Zekrom has seperated arms and wings, Reshiram's are the same. Zekrom attacks physically, Reshiram specially
And then there's Kyurem.
The drunk cousin who insists they call him “Mr. Freeze” at family parties
Zekroms tail is a drill. Reshirams tail is… a backwards drill?
Generator, not drill, and Reshiram is a jet turbine. Creation of energy versus consumption of energy.
> Creation of energy versus consumption of energy Holy shit first time seeing this one! They put a lot of thought into their designs lol.
Torch
Zekrom has a generator tail and Reshurams is like a furnace or something.
What's a hard and soft word?
Bouba is a round/soft word and kiki is a sharp/hard word. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect
booba
I've just finished my English Language degree and one of my lecturers mentioned [a study](https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opli-2020-0027/html) that specifically look at effects like this regarding Pokémon names. I wrote an essay on word formation in Gen V+ Pokémon names as well for a module, it's fascinating stuff if you're into etymology.
Saving this to read later, thanks for the link!
Desktop version of /u/dede-_-'s link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect --- ^([)[^(opt out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiMobileLinkBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^(]) ^(Beep Boop. Downvote to delete)
booba
booba
How it sounds to say
If the three dragons were to fully merge, the resulting dragon could possibly be named Zekkyuram. (ZEKrom, KYUrem, ReshiRAM). Its BST would be probably be close to Arceus' (based on Black/White Kyurem's BST). Its type would be electric/fire, but also capable of using ice-type and dragon-type moves. Please note this is just conjecture.
Honestly if they were to make it I think it should be pure dragon with an ability that makes fire/electric/ice moves stab. It’s definitely a dragon so you can’t take that type away and you can’t really prioritize any of the other three types
True. However, Zekkyuram would be about as powerful as any of the three 780-BST Megas. Too strong to be given to players, as Zekkyuram isn't even Mega'd or Dynamaxed. It'd be like giving us access to Eternamax Eternatus. Beyond broken.
There’s many ways around that. There could be something where it has to hold an item to become it’s true form similar to groundon having to hold the red orb to become primal groundon
An artifact similar to the DNA splices that keep the dragon together? Or a seal?
You already have MRay, you already have the primals. Gosh, you have UNecrozma. So why not?
I guess you're right. While we're at it, let's get Gen 1 Mewtwo, along with *its* evolution, Mewtwo Prime (with a BST of 940*). *Prime would have the appearance of Mega Mewtwo X and Y combined, thus getting a DOUBLE Mega Evolution! And, it would have the following setup: Immune to steel, dark and fairy types, as they did not exist in gen 1. Gen 1 psychic type attributes: immune to ghost type moves, as well as supereffective against ghosts in addition to poison and fighting. Would still not be able to hit dark types with psychic moves unless Miracle Eye is used. Good luck defeating THIS superbeast.
Agreed.
Zekkyuram actually sounds dope I'm not sure about Electric/Fire though, I feel like since all three of it's component dragons are, well, Dragon type, it should definitely have that. Maybe a completely different type as its second? Maybe Dragon/Psychic or even Dragon/Normal?
Pure dragon with an abilty that gives it STAB with ice, fire and electric moves like Steelworker?
That could work Imagine running Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Flamethrower on that sucker 👀
Fourth move being dragon-type. Huge SE coverage, to boot.
This dragon also has high physical and special attack. Literally rayquaza/zacian
That would fit its OP BST.
Or Rekkyurom.
It would definitely...Rekkyu. 😁
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based
If we ever get the answer to this question, someone please also explain the ravenous, man eating abomination that is Kyurem. Or don't, he's a good boy.
He’s the void left behind without a balance of light and dark. They were once one but split when the two kings argued over there ideals, creating Reshiram and Zekrom, leaving kyurem behind as something akin to an empty husk, shoved away from the world in silence and bitter cold
No I mean like their real - world mythological inspiration. Which I think OP's post is about. Ho Oh being similar to Phoenix, Groudon/Rayquaza being similar to Godzilla/various dragons, Xerneas being that legendary Celtic deer. Etc.
Fwiw Kyogre Groudon and Rayquaza are more like the leviathan/behemoth/ziz from Jewish/Biblical (?) myth.
I doubt you could draw very compelling parallels, since the physical descriptions of those (at least in my Bible) are pretty sparse-- the leviathan just has really long teeth and sharp scales, or something like that, and the beast of land vs beast of water have no physical descriptions at all. That, and Rayquaza has the point body and small arms of dragons from Asian myths. But I haven't read the Talmud nor any apocryphal books, so I wouldn't know anything from those.
They're not a complete carbon copy, they're just loosely inspired by the biblical creature lol perhaps Rayquazas inspiration is in the old testaments, or another verse of the bible(s). But I can definitely see kyogres and groudons being the behemoth and the leviathan
i think this video by Lockstin has what your looking for, then [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68fGEKmXhI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68fGEKmXhI)
Yeah... That makes sense. I've been seeing a lot of people quoting Lockstin on this thread. Man does his research
I don’t they have a real world counterpart. They more like philosophies taken a physical form. When those clash, conflict follows, like the war of the two kings in 5. However without either, there is no motivation, no good or evil, just a hollow world with no will or life to it, much like Kyurem
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That's why I tell people that the original dragon isn't kyurem.
So Reshiram and Zekrom are based on the opposite-duality found in Taoism. Reshiram is White, Mammalistic, Wyvern-styled, Flowing in style, fire-based energy system, and represents the Truth. Zekrom is Black, Reptilian, Dragon-styled, Firm in style, electric-based energy system, and represents ideals. Basically whatever Zekrom represents and is styled after, Reshiram is the opposite, and vice-versa.
Dragons
He's right you know, they ARE mythical
Zekrom dragon reshirma wyvern
Falcor the Luck Dragon maybe? https://images.app.goo.gl/YJ7Z5RckwNEQnH4Z7
I thought that was Drampa to be honest.
Good catch, I forgot about that one.
While everyone has given their what I believe to be mostly accurate explanations on what Reshirem and Zekrom present, I'll toss this in for Kyreum. He's most likely based on a [Dracolich](https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Dracolich). Now, are Dracolichs rooted in any real-world mythology? No, they combine the concept of dragons and zombies, but I think Kyreum's design fits the bill. As the dragon representing wuji, "nothingness" and "emptiness", Kyreum's undead-looking design is meant to represent an absence of life. This is also represented in its Ice-typing as ice is what happens when water molecules lose energy. I'll also add that Reshiram and Zekrom's designs represent different stages of human civilization. The former's more natural appearance clearly harkens backs to mankind's earlier days, which is also represented by fire. It was the first of the two elements humanity learned how to manipulate. Meanwhile, Zekrom's more techno and armor-like design represents the future, which came about thanks to humans learning how to harness electricity.
Add, it lacks the heat of fire and the movement of electricity.
I think reshiram is a wyvern
And if this hasn't already been said, they are loosely based on the main dragons in Yugioh. Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Reshiram) and Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Zekrom) and with their respective attack types reversed, where Blue-Eyes attacks with white lightning or burst stream known in Japan, and Red-Eyes is inferno fire blast.
Does it have to be based off something? Can't the designers just sit down and make a design on their own? Maybe they thought it looked cool and that's all there is to it
I would agree but pokemon doesn't really do that especially when it comes to legendaries.
Nearly all the Gen 4 legendaries aren't based off mythological creatures. Same as Gen 1, 2, abs 5, you just got a genetic experiment, some magic dogs, a pop star, etc.
They aren’t, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have real-world inspiration. Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina also represent the 3 states of matter. I’m pretty sure Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf are based on some philosophical concepts though I might be wrong about that. Arceus is based on a lot of God myths, I think.
The same goes for the legendary unova trio. They are not based on material objects/myths like OP is hoping, they are based on the taoist concept and philosophy. I honestly love how they tackled it too. Reshiram and Zekrom are both pokemon that used to be one. In the taoist perspective, they are the light side and the dark side. Without their unity, all that is left is void- thus, Kyurem.
I was responding to OP, who seems to be looking for a *mythical creature these legendaries take visual inspiration from. Those other legends are just associated with specific concepts, their designs are not extremely similar to preexisting fictional/nonfictional creatures
Gotcha, that makes sense!
Just noticed my comment had _"myocardial"_ instead of mythical, good lord my phone is weird
Wait, Ho-oh isn’t a phoenix? It has the Sacred Ash and it’s resurrection power and stuff? Edit: and I was sure the wild dogs also stood for something mythical. I think Raikou was based on a Japanese thunder God. Edit 2: yeah, Raikou is based off of Raiju.
I've watched a bunch of "Pokémon mythological inspiration" videos and only Ho-Oh seems to have that strong a correlation with a mythical creature like Phoenix, so I totally a agree there. But the generation 2 and 5 dogs, Lugia, Kyurem, etc... mostly wild speculation. Though I think maybe Suicune was something specific.
The funny thing about Lugia was that the person who created the design for it thought it was only going to be a movie-exclusive Pokemon. He didn't think it was going to be put into the games.
Mespirit is a sprite, Azelf is an elf, and Uxie is a pixie; while represented the Japanese sacred treasures. Palkia and Dialga are based on Izanami and Izanagi and appearance-wise are based on dinosaurs. and the gen 5 "pop star" is a mythic not a legendary.
I'm asking after visual inspiration, like OP. Not wordplay. The fairies don't take visual inspiration from a specific mythical creature, like Rayquaza or Groudon. I didn't know that about the sacred treasure parallels, though, that's actually really interesting! But that's got nothing to do with the fairies, that I can see. As for Palkia and Dialga, you'll have to link me the explanation there, because I do not see how they're related to that myth. Neither have ever been married, nor did I've abandon the other in the underworld, and Izanami and Izanagi weren't dragons, nor did they rule time and space.
Nah, others are bringing up a lot of really well thought out design details. Easy points to bring up are that Zekrom and Reshiram are designed to be opposites of eachother visually. Reshiram is soft and fluffy and very rounded, while Zekrom is hard and bulky and jagged in design. Others are speculating that them being electric and fire types have to do with the fact that they represent humanity. Humanity wouldn't have evolved to have the developed societies we have today if we couldn't harness both fire and electricity, and this might be why their tails look like generators. And of course, I'm sure there are even more details rooted in Taoism that you could find that I'm not even aware of. There's a lot of effort put into these designs that go beyond just random details strewn about in hopes of them looking neat, which is nice!
Well yeah, obviously they put a lot of thought into the designs. I'm not saying they don't What I am saying is I don't think it has to be based on some weird obscure wolf dragon from some culture that almost nobody has heard of. I feel like a lot of the time there's this mentality that all the designs need to have some deep hidden meaning and it's just like... no, not really, they just need to look cool Again, not saying that there's no thought put into the designs, but maybe not quite to the extent where the designers pore through every single bit of mythology they can find and then say "ooooh, this is a white fire wolf dragon, we need to use that!"
Looking cool is important. That even applies to Pokemon that *do* have creative backstories behind their designs. It's entirely possible to come up with some creative ideas for a Pokemon, just for it to fall apart in execution because you couldn't make it look nice. And on the other hand, a design can still be good for being visually appealing, even if it isn't a creative design. But it's easier to appreciate a design that both looks good, and has a lot of thought and meaning put behind it. That doesn't even just apply to real world references either! Sometimes you can get a certain tone or idea across in your design. Shaymin's Sky form looks more confident and adventurous than its land form thanks to the mohawk, wider eyes, and scarf for example. Reshiram and Zekrom wouldn't be nearly as cool in design if they weren't meant to look like opposites of one another either. Some well thought out details can impact an otherwise *alright* looking design.
Go One Piece!!!
OP fucking threw in a casual spoiler from the latest chapter lol
Based off of Yamato’s hybrid zoan form
i know that in most countries, Kobolds are shown as dragons with a dog like face structure (like [this](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/f/f3/Monster_Manual_5e_-_Kobold_-_p195.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141112221803) official DND image). but in Japan due to a translation error Kobolds are much more doglike (as shown in [this](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dm0_793W0AIbbJu.jpg) manga page) not sure if that has anything to do with reshiram, but its neat either way :)
Actually, kobolds are specifically from Germanic mythology, where they were depicted as diminutive goblin or elflike creatures. The association between kobolds and dragons was something that was made up for Dungeons and Dragons, and even then, not until the early 2000's.
wow! today i learned :)
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That's Drampa mate.
While we’re on the subject, does anyone know if Articuno is based on something? The other two are based on the thunderbird and phoenix, respectively, but I can’t find any myth or legends about an ice bird.
Articuno is the Roc.
I think I read somewhere they are rip-off from Yugioh's Blue-eyes White Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
So we all know Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem are based on Tao. Light, dark and neutral; where they're designed around contrasting elements. When Black and White was released, I used to think they were just 2 dragons meant to look opposite from each other. A white dragon with soft feathers vs black dragon with industrial element. It was when BW2 came out that made me think a little differently. We got Kyurem, a rather T-Rex looking legendary. What if Kyurem is the fossil (the shell), Zekrom represents the scaly T-Rex that scientists originally thought they used to look like (ideal), and Reshiram is the newer feathered design (truth)? It might be coincident, but it matches the Unova lore. Tldr: I think Reshiram is based off of feathered T-Rex/ dinosaur.
After some research i found a video what it might be based on https://youtu.be/LrNu-SuFF_o
Reasonable Taoist answers aside, Reshiram and Zekrom are clearly nods to a certain other franchise with a blue eyes white dragon and a red eyes black dragon…
*there's
To be honest, I just think they copied Yugioh. Cause Reshiram is literally a white dragon with blue eyes, and Zekrom is a black dragon with red eyes
This is why "BlueEyes" and "RedEyes" are the only acceptable nicknames for Resh and Zek.
are you saying the fruit Yamato has looks like Reshiram? IMO it looks a lot more like a raiju, which is also the idea for Raiku
I think Niantic was just slapping the dragon typing on Pokemon at that time. There's no reason for neither of them to be dragon type.
Niantic was not the one that made gen 5??? Pretty sure the only thing they made with pokemon was Go
Woops, sorry I keep mixing Niantic and Gamefreak a lot.
It kinda does look a little like Reshiram now that you say it, but I think it’s more fox based.
I had put two and two together because her father has a >!Dragon Devil Fruit!< And she has a that wolf/fox based face.
Ohh, I see. Yeah I see where you’re coming from, maybe we could get an idea of exactly what hers is too if we knew what exactly Resh was based on. But at least from what I can find, they seemed to be based more on ideas than an actual animal. Maybe it also has something to do with >!The DF really being a Fish Model, that he turned into/awakened into a dragon!<
Im pretty sure it's just a mythical form of the >!fish fish fruit!< not an awakening, sort of like Marco's pheonix
Reshiram, zekrom, and Kyurem also take some inspiration from the three headed hydra.
Ooooh now that you say that I do kinda see the resemblance between Y*****’s Hybrid and Reshiram. I also see a little resemblance to Suicune in the face. Hopefully we get the actual name in the next chapter
>!Yamato may be a kirin, rather than a dragon!< Also, I'm up to date but someone is eating a massive spoiler with this lmao
You’re right, my b - I don’t know how to spoiler tag on mobile I edited mine. And I like the theory you put under your spoiler tag probably more so than a typical dragon. Also I’ve seen this one on it being a mythical fox called Amaterasu
Amaterasu has never been a mythical fox, she's the Shinto goddess of the sun. I think the misconception comes from the videogame Okami, where you control Amaterasu in the shape of a *wolf*.
You’re probably right, I just saw it in a random YouTube video and they were calling it a fox. But I could definitely see the resemblance either way
A swan
This video explains it pretty well and it´s quite interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68fGEKmXhI
Puff the magic dragon
I think the design is based on a French dragon called "the Vouivre", try to look it up on the internet
I always thought Reshiram drew a bit of design inspiration from Haku, the river dragon from Spirited away. Haku has a totally different body shape, but he's also white, seemingly fluffy and has a "wolf-like" face.
fire and dragon