#meditorials

I just realized something. 

The REAL reason Dragonair evolves into Dragonite and changes its design so drastically is because... their typing is Dragon. Stick with me. They were the original sole representatives of the type called “Dragon type”, not just in english but also in the original japanese (ドラゴンタイプ Doragon taipu). 

What we tend to call “eastern dragon” (more snake-like) is actually a very different creature to what we know as the “western dragon” or just “dragon” (big legs & body, bat-like wings). The former goes by ryu in Japan, loong in China, etc. The later tends to actually be called “dragon” everywhere in the world.

And notice that the type is NOT called the “Ryu type” or the “Loong type” in Japanese.

So! The line begins as infant ryu/loong in the form of Dratini and Dragonair, snake-like beings holding a pearl... but because they are dragon types they end up morphing into a “western dragon”, a “proper” dragon.

I imagine something like this gave Pokemon more “personality” in its native Japan. It may have been “exotic”. Granted, Dragonite’s japanese name is Kairyu, but that could be part of the irony (especially since it’s written in hiragana rather than the more formal kanji).

Rayquaza would be the first proper ryu/loong.

The coming game Pokemon Legends: Arceus will take place in an ancient version of the Sinnoh region, Hisui. The most spiritual and myth-filled of the pokemon settings will have an aestethic based on medieval Japan. It’s likely to be one of the most “japanese” Pokemon games we’ve had since the “Conquest” spin-off.

Some of the new evolutions and forms seem to confirm this, with the fish Basculin getting a more dragon-like evolution called Basculegion, but more importantly to this post the dog pokemon Growlithe is getting a new rock-type form wich seems to be taking inspiration from the Shisa.

Growlithe’s new “fur” has been stated to be made of rock, and it’s filled with spirals. The line has always been a dog-tiger hybrid of sorts. Now consider that in Okinawa, Japan, the Shisa is a beast inspired by the Komainu that combines elements of dog and lion, often adorned with spirals, often in the form of statues, who serve as guardians of, among other sacred places, buddhist temples. The inspiration is very clear. King Caesar from Godzilla and Komasan from Yo-kai Watch are other examples of monsters based on the Shisa.

Meanwhile, there is some confusion (at least among western fans) about the inspiration behind the pokemon Meditite and Medicham, possibly because of orientalism. Many have called them “belly-dancers”, “hindu deities” and “genies”, all very conflicting concepts, but I have reasons to believe they are actually based on Buddha statues.

Meditite, who looks like a baby doing the meditating “lotus position”, was originaly found in the games Ruby and Saphire at the entrance of a graveyard on Mount Pyre. Another pokemon found there is Vulpix, based on the kitsune. In graveyards of Japan it’s common to find both shrines dedicated to Inari (a kitsune like Vulpix) as well as statues dedicated to the buddha Ojizō-sama (shown above). These statues are often baby-like in appearence, because this buddha is known to protect the souls of babies and kids that died too young. I believe Meditite is based on, or at least in these games is a reference to, these Ojizō-sama statues. The brows-nose pattern is similar to the border of Meditite’s “helmet”, and Meditite’s “ears” resemble the spiral pattern commonly found in the hair of many Buddha statues. 

To not make this post too long its evolution Medicham has several traits of depictions of buddhas (the ushnisha, the earlobes, the round lips) and Mega Medicham is most definetly based on a bodhisattva (its extra arms actually being the iconic floating cloth or tenne).

So back to Growlithe and Meditite, they both have a similar pointy white head with similar round spiral patterns, and both Shisa and Buddha statues (their likely inspirations) have spiral patterns in their hairs. I don’t know if this pattern is a coincidence or intentional in real life, but it could be that the lore of these pokemon is about to be connected due to their shared buddhist background and this new design for Growlithe reflects that. 

As already said, Sinnoh is the most spiritual of the pokemon regions, with the box legendaries being somewhat based on Japan’s creation myth. The fact that buddha statues are everywhere in Japan could be the reason Meditite and Medicham are everywhere in Sinnoh (to the point that one would be forgiven to think they debuted in that region’s games), and will probably be the case in Hisui too.

Similar spiral formations on the head.

Two oval marks in the face.

”Helmet” with a “m”-like outline and pointy at the top.

Fighting as primary type.

Conclusion: Marshadow is the ghost of a Meditite!

...

It kind of reminds me of the original Toy Story, actually: the people behind it were aware of the limitations of cgi at the time and avoided the uncanny valley by making the protagonists toys; but they also went out of their way to use the uncanny valley to their advantage by making the antagonists a human kid and a dog, wich looked creepy and wrong and that drove the point home that they were the bad guys (notice how the “good” humans had their faces out of focus most of the time).

Can we take a moment to appreciate how ingenuous the use of Ditto was? Taking its abilities to their logical extreme, as well as referencing the gag from the anime that it’s most known for, while also providing an explanation for it all that makes sense between the context of the movie and that allows it to not be in conflict with the pokemon from the games (and provided in passing, no less)?