Pokemon Scarlet and Violetcontent is not slowing down anytime soon, with Game Freak constantly releasing new Tera Raid bosses, gift codes, and soon the Gen 9 games' own DLC - The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk. With the surprise release of two new Paradox Pokemon inScarlet and Violet, with them being Walking Wake and Iron Leaves (often referred to as Paradox Suicune and Virizion, respectively), fans have been hoping that more of these unique creatures are introduced to the game. While a common ancestor for Paradox Pokemon is often mentioned as Gen 7’s group of Ultra Beasts, that generation was not done experimenting with new themes and gimmicks, and the very origin of Gen 9’s time-traveling critters might be a different one.
The so-called “fusion” gimmick was something that Game Freak messed with all the way back to thePokemon Black and Whiteera, with Kyurem acting not only as a third Legendary for the two games but as a way to create even more powerful critters. This was later used again Gen 7, and to a degree inPokemon Sword and Shield, albeit only via Calyrex’s two possible mounts. However, Gen 7’s Legendaries became capable of fusing withNecrozma inPokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, creating two very distinct critters that might very well be Paradox Pokemon’s ancestors.
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How Gen 7’s Legendaries Could Have Inspired Scarlet and Violet’s Paradox Pokemon
Although both of these Pokemon were technically still different versions of Necrozma, they were referred to as Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings, respectively mirroring the appearance ofPokemon Sun and Moon’s Solgaleo and Lunala. While the names might not seem to bear a lot of significance within Gen 7 games, they do appear to have been the precursors of what isPokemon Scarlet and Violet’s nomenclature for Paradox Pokemon- particularly, the critters coming from the past.
In fact,Pokemon Violet’s futuristic Paradox critters all share the word “Iron” at the beginning of their names, which makes them less distinct in comparison to their long-lost cousins fromPokemon Scarlet.Past Paradox Pokemon, on the other hand, all feature unique names that are made of two words, which combined offer a somewhat accurate description of the critter, with examples being Great Tusk for the past specimen of Donphan or Slither Wing for Volcarona’s skittering version. Unlike any other critter in the franchise, past Paradox Pokemon seem to use the same principle as Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings when it comes to their names.
Since Game Freak is known for teasing future mainlinePokemongimmicks or even the critters themselves with some sort of easter egg, it doesn’t seem so unlikely thatPokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon’s Dusk Mane and Dawn Wingsended up inspiring Paradox critters further down the line, or at least their names. Furthermore, Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings' appearance does resemble the future Paradox Pokemon from Gen 9 to a degree, even though they are not as shiny or futuristic in style. While this is ascribable to Necrozma being made of crystalline material, this too could have been a reference to Gen 9.
Necrozma is known for absorbing light and energy, but it also acts like a prism of sorts, which could have been a hint to Terastallization itself. This seems even less far-fetched when one considers thatPokemon Scarlet and Violet’sFuecoco was present inPokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moonin the form of the male protagonist’s shoes - at least, ones that look very similar to the fiery crocodile’s snot. Even if this is not the case, it’s interesting to see how Gen 7’s Legendaries might have inspired Game Freak’s work withPokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Paradox creatures.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now on Nintendo Switch.
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