• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

RTTP: The Pokemon. All 721 of them, and counting.

Crayolan

Member
I think the only notable thing about Flareon was it's role in Twitch Plays Pokemon. I liked it more as a kid but now I can recognize it's a pretty boring and safe design compared to it's brethren.

What does this even mean?

When you see that Flareon is just a bigger, fluffier Eevee spraypainted red you really can't unsee it. such a lazy design.

Gen 1 had some awful designs. I love Gen 1 as much as anybody else who played during that time, but the pokemon designs have gotten much better in my opinion.

Too many people are blinded by nostalgia when it comes to some of these designs, I get that personal preference is a thing, but there are some people who will literally take ANY Gen 1 pokemon over a pokemon like say, Krookodile.

Personally I think it makes sense for a pokemon with many evolutions to have one that looks like more of a natural progression than all the others, so though I'm not a fan of Flareon I've never disliked it's design.
 

StoneFox

Member
I think the only notable thing about Flareon was it's role in Twitch Plays Pokemon. I liked it more as a kid but now I can recognize it's a pretty boring and safe design compared to it's brethren.
Which Flareon? We had two, one in Red "False Prophet" and one in Platinum "Solareon" :p Both were great.

In terms of Flareon, I think it should take some of the stats it has in special attack and move it to one of its defenses, or possibly HP. People would use it more then, I think. A lot of people give Flareon shit for not being Arcanine or Entei but Flareon is an awesome revenge killer. I don't think any pokemon wants to be on the receiving end of a Flareon's Retaliate hahaha
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
but I imagine there were a few wafflers out there who took the easy way out and simply never evolved Eevee.

I did that with my Eevee on my Yellow team, though to be fair I had a Charizard, Blastoise and Pikachu.

Beside Eevee was pretty strong unevovled and he did eventually evovled into an Umbreon when I took him to Jotho.

I'm disappointed in you Guys, why are you hating on Sylveon? :(


You were supposed to be cool :'(

We are cool... too cool for Sylveon. >:D

I remember when everyone was going on about how amazing Flareon would be if it was given decent moves like Flare Blitz.

Then, in X & Y, it got it and people still trashed it.

Ha ha I remember that, I even told people that even with Flare Blitz Flareon will still be bad.

So sick of hearing that, and complaints about pokemon being "overdesigned"

So what if they take influences from a few different things and have some actual thought put into them, it's better than shit like Doduo which is "Bird with 2 heads, give me a pay rise!"

I like how the designs have gotten more intricate and interesting over time, with the exceptions of maybe the legendaries. I think Gen 1 was a good starting point, but that is all it was, a starting point, and not something which needs to be raised up on a pedestal as a "pinnacle of good design" when it is anything but and has a huge amount of duds.

Later pokemon have more intricate designs with more going on because they have much better inspiration and creative designing, whereas a lot of pokemon in Gen 1 seem rushed and tacked on, and even more of those are hard to pinpoint exactly what they are supposed to be or what they are based on.

Agreed, People seem to forget that the gen 1 Pokémon where designed for the Game Boy so they had to be simple but as later Nintendo handheld became more advance so did Pokémon designs as Game Freak was no longer restricted by the limitation of the Game Boy.

But naw let throw out logic and bash on non gen 1 Pokémon designs by incorrectly comparing them to Digimon because fuck yeah nostalgia.

I mean I get not being fond of a certain Pokémon designs, personally I can't Simipour but I don't go round bashing it because I don't have to use Simipour nor do I use Simipour design to speak for an entire generation.

All generation have their good and bad points and this includes gen 1.

They obviously hasn't experienced the POWER OF PIXILATE HYPER VOICE

Well... I am deaf. ;p
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Yup, there were less pokemon in gen 6 (though Mega Pokemon really should have gotten pokedex entries and maybe a number) but aside of two terrible pokemon they're all really good. (Binacle and it's evolution are sooooo ugly >.>)

Well that was the point of Barbaracle tho :p

Ugly but ferocious, especially with their razor-sharp dicks.
 

Macka

Member
I didn't use the gift Eevee in Red until after the main game, and chose to evolve it into Flareon. I loved the look of Flareon when I was a kid, and for some reason really disliked both Jolteon and Vaporeon. My taste in eeveelutions has changed dramatically since then, as Flareon seems really boring now, and Vaporeon is one of my favourites. Umbreon and Espeon are the best though!

True, no gen is as consistently high quality as gen 6 when it comes to Pokemon designs.
Yep, Kalos introduced so many amazing looking Pokemon, and very few I'd call bad.
They obviously hasn't experienced the POWER OF PIXILATE HYPER VOICE
A Pokemon being strong doesn't make it look any better. :/
 

Crayolan

Member
Which Flareon? We had two, one in Red "False Prophet" and one in Platinum "Solareon" :p Both were great.

In terms of Flareon, I think it should take some of the stats it has in special attack and move it to one of its defenses, or possibly HP. People would use it more then, I think. A lot of people give Flareon shit for not being Arcanine or Entei but Flareon is an awesome revenge killer. I don't think any pokemon wants to be on the receiving end of a Flareon's Retaliate hahaha

Our starter in randomized ORAS also evolved into a flareon hilariously enough.
 

Azuran

Banned
A Pokemon being strong doesn't make it look any better. :/

See but it does in this case. You don't expect a cute little thing like that to have that kind of power and I just couldn't help but love that. Sylveon is like that rabbit from Monty Python.
 

iirate

Member
Vaporeon will be my favorite eeveelution forever, but I respect the hell out of Flareon's design. It invokes the idea of a living fireball, and no other pokemon has embodied that concept with as much success. I like complex and simple pokemon designs for different reasons, but Flareon has to be simple to work as well as it does. My only complaint is that I like the original, darker colors for it so much more and I wish Game Freak would return to those.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
I think a "bad design" can be saved somewhat if it's got a great use in the game. Maybe not for everyone, but I think it's fair to say an ugly Pokemon with no use probably loses out in popularity to an ugly Pokemon with a lot of use.

Anyway, I might slow down for a bit with these for awhile but I'll try to get a family done per stay still...I'm addicted to Yokai Watch right now. :0
 
Flareon's yellow fur should catch fire when it attacks. That would make it look pretty cool, and I don't believe any Pokemon's body lights up in quite as dramatic a fashion as that would. Most "temporary" Fire Types like Blaziken and Typhlosion only really have a small bit of fire.
 
Sure ol' Flareon may be similar to Eevee in design but the way it fluffs up its fur into the whispy fireball shape is a nice touch without actually shoving fire all over the design.
 

Sterok

Member
Anyway, I might slow down for a bit with these for awhile but I'll try to get a family done per stay still...I'm addicted to Yokai Watch right now. :0

You're a dirty traitor and should feel ashamed of yourself.






Can't wait to start Yokai myself. These take a lot of work, so no need to rush.
 
You want some amazing variety in design?

Think of a Fire Pokemon that

1. Does not have fire on its body at all.
2. And does not use the colors red, yellow or orange

Reshiram is the only one

Dat variety

Although I have to hand it to Litwick's line, as they have visible fire, but it's so different from every other Fire Type, they might not even count for the first point
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
I think a "bad design" can be saved somewhat if it's got a great use in the game. Maybe not for everyone, but I think it's fair to say an ugly Pokemon with no use probably loses out in popularity to an ugly Pokemon with a lot of use.

Anyway, I might slow down for a bit with these for awhile but I'll try to get a family done per stay still...I'm addicted to Yokai Watch right now. :0

You dirty traitor...... *shakes fist*

Still don't get why Europe gets the game in 2016, I am gonna be busy with Digimon Cyber Sleuth and getting hyped for "Pokémon Z" and Pokémon 20th anniversary.

Mr-Joker
Other people suffering isn't my problem and I don't care about it.

Heh heh. <(^_^;)>

You want some amazing variety in design?

Think of a Fire Pokemon that

1. Does not have fire on its body at all.
2. And does not use the colors red, yellow or orange

Reshiram is the only one

Dat variety

Although I have to hand it to Litwick's line, as they have visible fire, but it's so different from every other Fire Type, they might not even count for the first point

I can think of Ninetails, Numel and Arceus with fire plate that fit that rules.
 
You want some amazing variety in design?

Think of a Fire Pokemon that

1. Does not have fire on its body at all.
2. And does not use the colors red, yellow or orange

Reshiram is the only one

Dat variety

Although I have to hand it to Litwick's line, as they have visible fire, but it's so different from every other Fire Type, they might not even count for the first point

OBJECTION!

Zen Mode Darmanitan.
 

ffdgh

Member
You want some amazing variety in design?

Think of a Fire Pokemon that

1. Does not have fire on its body at all.
2. And does not use the colors red, yellow or orange

Reshiram is the only one

Dat variety

Doesn't reshiram's tail pulsate orange? I was gonna say the litwit line.
 
Doesn't reshiram's tail pulsate orange? I was gonna say the litwit line.

Reshiram's tail doesn't really pulsate orange in the game, and it's not really a major aspect of his design.

If we do count Reshiram's tail, then there are 0 Fire Pokemon that do not follow at least one those two design aspects.

Other than
OBJECTION!

Zen Mode Darmanitan.

But that doesn't really count
 
Reshiram's tail doesn't really pulsate orange in the game, and it's not really a major aspect of his design.

If we do count Reshiram's tail, then there are 0 Fire Pokemon that do not follow at least one those two design aspects.

Other than


But that doesn't really count
To be fair, I'm not sure how you'd identify a pokemon as fire without fire colors or having fire. Unlike water types or other such things, fire isn't really associated with any real world animals or creatures, and most mythical beings associated with fire usually have fire as prt of their appearance as well
 
To be fair, I'm not sure how you'd identify a pokemon as fire without fire colors or having fire. Unlike water types or other such things, fire isn't really associated with any real world animals or creatures, and most mythical beings associated with fire usually have fire as prt of their appearance as well

True

And looking at the other types, there's consistent design in them as well (there aren't very many Electric types without yellow or black coloring for example), so it may also be a consistency thing.

Funny enough, I couldn't remember which Black/White legendary was the fire type one, I had to look it up. So I guess maybe he needs some fire on his body!
 

Macka

Member
Don't hate on Sylveon please :(
I'm disappointed in you Guys, why are you hating on Sylveon? :(


You were supposed to be cool :'(

You are hurting me man


Kristen-Bell-Laughing-to-Crying.gif
Other people suffering isn't my problem and I don't care about it.
Who cares that people dislike Sylveon? If you like it, that's all that matters. I think we all have a favourite that isn't super popular. Mine is Mamoswine. :p
 

Tiamant

Member
You want some amazing variety in design?

Think of a Fire Pokemon that

1. Does not have fire on its body at all.
2. And does not use the colors red, yellow or orange

Reshiram is the only one

Dat variety

Although I have to hand it to Litwick's line, as they have visible fire, but it's so different from every other Fire Type, they might not even count for the first point

Ninetales and the stupid decision to make the Cyndaquil line to only show the fire mane during attacks.
 
It's important to be able to tell a Pokemon's typing at a glance. So it stands to reason that there will be big and obvious visual cues to help.
 
I've seen Eevee as some kind of basal Carnivora before all the bear/seal/dog/cat/weasel stuff happened and the stone nudges them along a route.

I had mine levelup to a Jolteon (and had pretty damn good IVs for caught) who smoked quite a few as a suicide lead. I like their purple eyes and ears. Umbreon is a magnificent looking and playing critter, too.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
It's important to be able to tell a Pokemon's typing at a glance. So it stands to reason that there will be big and obvious visual cues to help.

Yep, though some Pokémon don't follow that rules like Flabébé who can be mistaken for being part grass.

Ninetales is yellow and orange, shiny is another story though.

Ninetales looks white to me.

Doesn't look like yellow to me, but what about Houndour/doom?

Houndour and Houndoom have an orange snout and belly.
 

Razmos

Member
It's important to be able to tell a Pokemon's typing at a glance. So it stands to reason that there will be big and obvious visual cues to help.
Speaking of this, what are pokemon you get most confused about its type?

For me it's probably:
Psyduck, I usually think it is part Psychic
Bibarel which I always assume is pure Normal type
Drapion is another one I always forget, I assume it is Poison/Bug like Scorupi
Palkia as well because literally nothing about its design suggests it is water type

I'd assume Sudowoodo is one that tricks people quite often hehe
 
Speaking of this, what are pokemon you get most confused about its type?

For me it's probably:
Psyduck, I usually think it is part Psychic
Bibarel which I always assume is pure Normal type
Drapion is another one I always forget, I assume it is Poison/Bug like Scorupi
Palkia as well because literally nothing about its design suggests it is water type

I'd assume Sudowoodo is one that tricks people quite often hehe

Drapion was the one that confused me the most. Everything else I was able to guess pretty well.
 

ffdgh

Member
Speaking of this, what are pokemon you get most confused about its type?

For me it's probably:
Psyduck, I usually think it is part Psychic
Bibarel which I always assume is pure Normal type
Drapion is another one I always forget, I assume it is Poison/Bug like Scorupi
Palkia as well because literally nothing about its design suggests it is water type

I'd assume Sudowoodo is one that tricks people quite often hehe

Larvitar/Tyranitar. I still get their typings confused.
 

Seil

Member
Speaking of this, what are pokemon you get most confused about its type?

For me it's probably:
Psyduck, I usually think it is part Psychic
Bibarel which I always assume is pure Normal type
Drapion is another one I always forget, I assume it is Poison/Bug like Scorupi
Palkia as well because literally nothing about its design suggests it is water type

I'd assume Sudowoodo is one that tricks people quite often hehe

I always think Poison when I see Gligar even though I know it's Ground/Flying.
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
Speaking of this, what are pokemon you get most confused about its type?

For me it's probably:
Psyduck, I usually think it is part Psychic
Bibarel which I always assume is pure Normal type
Drapion is another one I always forget, I assume it is Poison/Bug like Scorupi
Palkia as well because literally nothing about its design suggests it is water type

I'd assume Sudowoodo is one that tricks people quite often hehe

Strangely I never had that happen to me, I am able to remember every 721 Pokémon typing.

Though I did forget that Mr. Mime was part fairy when I first played Pokémon Y then again I have been playing Pokémon since 99 so I had years of knowledge that Mr. Mime was pure psychic.
 

KdylanR92

Member
Gliscor and Drapion, i just draw a blank on what type they are every time i see them.

Can't wait to get to 3rd gen to see the greatest starter and fire type ever made
 

Mr-Joker

Banned
Decided to explain each Pokémon professor roles and field of research, since they are one of the most important NPC we see early in the game and before we get our starter Pokémon.

-Professor Oak,

Oak studies the relationship between Pokémon and human he is also the inventor of the Pokédex so he is highly regarded among trainers and other professors.

-Professor Elm,

Prior to the event of gen 2 Elm published a paper on Pokémon evolution but he mostly specializes in Pokémon breeding.

-Professor Birch,

Birch research involves in studying in Pokémon habitat, hence why he does a lot of field work, probably more than the other professor.

-Professor Rowan,

Rowan research in Pokémon evolution, maybe he worked with Elm before. He also describe how legendary Pokémon don't evolve and theorise that they are perhap complete being that don't need to evolve.

Rowan is good friends with Oak and mentored Professor Sycamore when he was younger.

-Professor Juniper,

The only female professor and she studies Pokémon origin and Unova history.

-Professor Cedric Juniper,

Cedric is Juniper father and he research in Pokémon distribution and biology, he also work with his daughter on research and they were both once Backpackers.

-Professor Sycamore,

Sycamore research into the mystery of Mega and its origin, he trained at the Tower of Mastery in his youth to learn about Mega but he left quickly after deciding that he didn't have what it take to master it.

He's also the only Professor to battle you, though Professor Oak was originally going to fight the player but got dropped.

Florges is not a Grass-type.

250px-671Florges.png

Totally should have been Grass/Fairy.

It's yellow. Go into Paint, use the color picker and everything will be made clear.

Yeah I saw the yellow part after writing that post.
 

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Gen 2 Eeveelutions

In Generation II, Game Freak introduced two new Eeveelutions, the Psychic-type Espeon and the Dark-type Umbreon. Most people were probably expecting perhaps a Grass and Ice Eeveelution before that, but I don't think many people were too disappointed since Psychic and Dark are "cool" Types, and their designs are generally considered to be very strong and on par with the originals, although notice they're lacking Eevee's furry collar as I mentioned before. Espeon and Umbreon are related to the sun and moon respectively, and despite there being both a Sun and Moon Stone that'd be perfectly viable to use in Generation II, Game Freak decided to have them evolve when they reach max Happiness, Espeon if that occurs during the day and Umbreon if that occurs during the night. Thus, if the player does not choose to evolve Eevee into its other forms and simply uses it in battle, eventually it'll probably try and evolve into one of these two, so perhaps you could say they're more "default" forms?

Despite popular belief, Ruby and Sapphire does indeed have a time system, although it's not visible like in Gold and Silver thus Eevee can indeed evolve into Espeon and Umbreon in those games, but Fire Red and Leaf Green lack the time system completely, meaning they're unavailable in the Kanto remakes. Game Freak literally locked out all the Generation II evolutions during the main game of FRLG, so it's no surprise they didn't bother with finding a way to let players obtain Espeon and Umbreon without trading, which was a major disappointment and one of the reasons I don't care for Fire Red and Leaf Green. I'm glad they didn't repeat this with HGSS and ORAS, instead letting players use the new evolutions if they so chose. In Pokemon XD, which also lacked a time system, Genius Sonority introduced two new items---the Sun Shard and Moon Shard---which allowed players to evolve Eevee into Espeon and Umbreon, and why Genius Sonority could think of doing that but Game Freak couldn't be bothered is a question for the ages.

However, most Generation III players likely obtained an Espeon and Umbreon through Pokemon Colosseum, where they were the Starter Pokemon of the protagonist Wes and pretty much the strongest Pokemon in the game. The rest of your team had to be hobbled together by rather weak Pokemon who had to also be purified first of the Shadow gimmick before they could live up to their true potential, but from the beginning Espeon and Umbreon can basically wreck anything they go up against and they're really the MVPs of the game. I don't care much for the Eeveelutions, and Espeon and Umbreon's designs don't do anything for me at all, but using them from the get-go in Colosseum was such a power-trip, and they're the first Pokemon I legitimately raised all the way up to Level 100 simply by playing through Colosseum and using them in every fight. I still have my original Espeon and Umbreon from that game today sitting in a special Box in ORAS, and I plan to keep them as long as I can. God, I loved Colosseum, one of the best Pokemon memories I have.

So, let's talk about Espeon and Umbreon.

NG9wLma.png

#196 - Espeon
Psychic

Espeon as you can tell by its purple color-scheme is naturally the Psychic-type Eeveelution, and like most Psychic-types is known for its powerful Special Attack and Speed to counter its rather unimpressive physical stats. A Psychic-type Eeveelution in Generation I would've probably been very successful, but when Generation II rolled around, Psychic-type Pokemon were on the decline slightly and beyond that, Espeon had a rather plain move set that put it behind most of its Generation I counterparts. It mostly played support roles, Calm Mind + Baton Pass being a popular strategy, and in Generation V became more useful thanks to the Ability Magic Bounce, allowing it to counter all those annoying hazards that pop up in the competitive scene like Stealth Rock and what have you. Still, it seems its popularity was short lived, because in Generation VI it seems it's fallen back down to the lower tier. I imagine a certain Ghost/Steel Pokemon might be partially responsible for that? I imagine most players in Gold and Silver used Espeon, unless they rushed to get one of the older Eeveelutions, because most kids probably spent the majority of their playtime during the day hours, and thus Eevee evolved into it rather than Umbreon upon maxing Happiness.

I'll say it right here, but Espeon being the "Sun Pokemon" makes no sense. Nothing in its PokeDex mentions any relation to the sun, and its coloring and appearance make it seem much more like a creature of the night rather than something who'd appear in the daytime. I feel like they might've had another evolution method in mind for Espeon originally, but after making Umbreon they decided to connect the two of them to day and night, even though in Espeon's case that doesn't fit whatsoever. But what can you do? As far as Psychic Pokemon go, Espeon's what you'd expect, having the purple coloring commonly associated with them (although arguably yellow was their main color in Generation I), mystical eyes that show how intelligent it is, and a gem on its forehead which is probably the source of its power. Espeon is probably the one Eeveelution who I'm sure about what it's based on, as it's definitely the Nekomata, a yokai said to be born when a house cat lives long enough that its tail splits in two---you probably recognize the Nekomata thanks to the Yokai Watch mascot Jibanyan, who is also based on one. However, the actual Nekomata was a rather dark creature, originally it was basically a wild cat known to attack people, but most common depictions have it as being quite loyal and goodhearted, as seen with Espeon who is very loyal to its Trainer.

If there's any Eeveelution who is meant to be Eevee's canon evolution, I'd argue it's Espeon, although Sylveon recently has given it some competition which I'll explain in its entry. There's various reasons I get this impression, from Red having an Espeon in Gold and Silver, to its Japanese name, Eifie, being the closest to Eevee, and its general design. Plus I feel like if players don't go for any Eeveelution in particular, Espeon will end up being the one they likely get. Game Freak's never commented on which Eeveelution is the "canon one", and there probably isn't actually one they considered the natural evolution of Eevee, but sometimes I wonder if that was the plan with Espeon, to simply be the Happiness evolution in general regardless of time, but then they decided to make two new Eeveelutions. This might explain why Espeon's entries tend to talk about its relationship with its Trainer, while Umbreon's entries make it out to be quite feral, and not fitting a Happiness evolution.

Espeon's Signature Move is Morning Sun, fitting its status as the "Sun Pokemon", but once more nothing in its lore or appearance really jives with it having this ability. Actually, judging by its PokeDex which talks about how it's able to basically perceive the future and such perhaps Future Sight would've fit better, but Espeon actually didn't pick that up till Generation IV. Morning Sun isn't that bad, of course, better than Pin Missile. Anyway, I'd say in terms of popularity, I feel that Espeon is probably the most all-around popular Eeveelution due to looks, usefulness, and the impression he left thanks to being on Red's G/S team, although he was dumped for Lapras in HG/SS for some reason. Maybe because Espeon was associated with manga Red, and Lapras with anime Ash, who during Generation IV had become a literal God taking on Legendary Pokemon and thus they dropped the one Pokemon Game Red had who wasn't part of any evolution line he used?

Espeon had a somewhat important role in the Johto anime as being the main Eeveelution of Sakura, one of the Kimono Girls and the most important one in terms of plot importance, although she only appeared in two episodes---then again, Johto had very few reoccurring characters (Casey?), so that's pretty good overall. She later popped up in a Pokemon Chronicles episode with her Espeon challenging Misty to a Gym Battle, but hasn't been seen since. Espeon was also used in the Battle Frontier season by Salon Maiden Anabel as her final Pokemon in her rematch with Ash where it went up against Pikachu.

0uqC28j.png

#197 - Umbreon
Dark

Umbreon's our first Dark-type Pokemon we've covered, excluding Mega Gyrados, since they were absent from Generation I and no Pokemon from Generation I were re-typed to Dark, nor did they evolve into a Dark-type in Gen II except for Eevee. Dark Pokemon were pretty odd in Gold and Silver, being pushed all the way back to Kanto for some reason, meaning if you wanted a Dark-type early on, Umbreon was your man. Umbreon's primarily a defensive Pokemon, allowing him to do what Dark-type Pokemon do best---play dirty and annoy the opponent. His move set is rather unorthodox compared to the others, and I remember in Colosseum he sort of played a backseat role for me while Espeon did all the work killing everything. So, for in-game players, Umbreon might've been a bit of a disappointment since stall strategies aren't that fun or time conductive when playing through the scenario, but in the competitive scene he is quite good due to his impressive defenses, a popular combo being Mean Look + Baton Pass to basically trap your opponent with an unfortunate match-up. I really need to learn how to play Pokemon beyond using all the fast, speedy attackers one day. But as one of the most common Dark-types, Umbreon was easily able to stick in people's minds, and he's probably right behind Espeon in popularity.

Umbreon's dark as fuck, bro. While Espeon had like nothing to do with the sun, Umbreon totally fits as the "Moonlight Pokemon", being pure black and covered with golden rings resembling an eclipsed moon. It's specifically said to have evolved due to the moon's "energy pulses", and at nights, its rings glow to strike fear into the hearts' of its foes. Yeah, Umbreon doesn't mess around. I imagine Umbreon is meant to represent "black cats", and other creatures of ill-omen from various folklore, but he may also draw from the bakeneko, another cat-type Yokai known for its mystical, monstrous powers, who I mentioned already as having inspired Meowth as well. Like Espeon, Umbreon looks fairly close to Eevee aesthetically, thus fitting his role as a more "natural" evolution, although the Happiness gimmick doesn't work quite as well with him as it does with Espeon. I do wonder if he was just gonna evolve with the Moon Stone, but suddenly Game Freak got super concerned about canon and dropped that idea.

If Espeon's Signature Move was Morning Sun, then Espeon's was definitely Moonlight, although it always shared it with a few Pokemon since Generation II and nowadays it feels a bit odd being "his move" due to it becoming a Fairy-type move, arguably the antithesis of Dark Pokemon. Don't be fooled by the name, though, because Moonlight is equally effective in sunlight and is virtually identical to Morning Sun now. Umbreon's PokeDex also talks about it being able to spray poisonous sweat from its glands or something, but I have no clue what move this is meant to reference as it doesn't learn any Poison-type moves naturally. The PokeDex is a weirdo sometimes.

Even though players of Pokemon Yellow were used to Gary having a Generation I Eeveelution, his Eevee ultimately evolved into an Umbreon, and was his signature Pokemon for awhile, although Blastoise and Electivire both took over that role, and Umbreon actually wasn't even used in the Johto League. Dawn's mother, Johanna, also owns one in Diamond and Pearl and it's also the first Eeveelution Virgil, the Eeveelution "Master", obtained and I believe was his Starter as well. Still, fuck Virgil.
 

Ezalc

Member
I love Umbreon, I just wish it was more attack orientated instead of defense I guess. Also I'm currently starting a new playthrough of Pokemon Colosseum, and was thinking that it was a pretty great twist to give the protag an Umbreon and Espeon as his "starters". Sucks that this still sticks to gen 3's method of type division since I just got croconaw and Feraligatr won't be able to use his attack to the fullest potential.
 
Top Bottom