#618 - Stunfisk
Ground/Electric
I activate the Trap Pokemon, Stunfisk! Like Cryogonal here's another odd single-stage Unova Pokemon, though this one is a bit more interesting due to being the only Ground/Electric Pokemon in the series---and you know I love those "antithesis Type combinations". Stunfisk can be found around Icirrus City in puddles in every season except Winter, due to them becoming frozen over, though you can still obtain one during the coldest of seasons through Surfing or Fishing. It's another Pokemon most players will probably skip over when constructing their team due to not evolving, but it has its niche in the lower tiers of the competitive scene due to having a host of status-causing moves like Discharge and Toxic, as well as access to the always useful Stealth Rock. Outside of its low Attack and poor Speed all of its stats are fairly decent, with its bulk providing it some lasting power, though unfortunately Ground/Electric comes with a whole bunch of common weaknesses to Ice, Grass, Water, and Ground which does hurt its role as a utility Pokemon. During Black and White it actually found some use in Ubers too as a counter to Pokemon like Arceus and Deoxys, but not as a major component that all teams should carry. Finally as of X and Y one of its Abilities, Limber, has become completely redundant since Electric-type Pokemon are now naturally immune to paralysis---might Stunfisk get an Ability in Sun and Moon to replace this which could end up being a major boon in terms of competitive viability? Or will Game Freak never get around to correcting this issue. We will see.
Stunfisk could be compared to the Tympole line as its "brother in arms" (or lack thereof) when it comes to being a Pokemon with unorthodox popularity, back when Black and White was first released it also ranked highly in a poll done by a Japanese magazine and since then has become a "memetic" Pokemon who people either love or hate for the exact same reason---it's goofy looking as shit and totally has a troll face going on. Like many other such quirky Pokemon its popularity seems to be bigger in Japan, where it received a bunch of merchandise around its debut in the show including Stunfisk slippers, though unlike some other Japanese-popular Pokemon that Western fans hates such as Vanilluxe even people across the pond seem to generally like this dude. In Black 2 and White 2 it got a slightly larger role referencing this popularity as whole group of them can be seen flopping around Striaton City garden during the summer nights, a very majestic sight indeed. And while most Pokemon got downgraded appearances come XY, or so most would say, Stunfisk looks amazing since it's now a perfectly flat model that you can barely see when the camera is pointed at it head on.
I recall Stunfisk is another Pokemon that received a Type change during development, Game Freak mentioning in one of their Gen V interviews that originally it was going to be Water/Electric---like Lanturn---but was changed around, I believe because they wanted to have a new Type combination and Water had been a bit overplayed. I'm glad they did this, as Stunfisk is another example of Game Freak realizing a fish-based Pokemon doesn't necessarily have to be a Water-type, and unlike Tynamo they actually let it inhabit watery areas instead of making it some weird floating creature. Though the most nitpicky of fans will get upset because it lives in water yet is weak to Water (ludo-narrative dissonance!), such fans should be ignored as in this case I'll gladly overlook a gameplay inconsistency in favor of spicing things up. Stunfisk draws inspiration from various types of flatfish but mainly seems to be based upon the stargazer, a strange-looking fish with an upward-facing mouth and eyes which buries itself under sand while waiting for prey---they're also venomous, and some species can utilize electricity to shock prey as well. There's even a few varieties which utilize a lure, and perhaps Stunfisk was going to have such a lure back when it seemed to be an updated version of Lanturn. Anyway, as the Trap Pokemon, Stunfisk loves waiting for people to step on it so it can shock them---it just seems to really enjoy doing this for whatever reason. Though it appears to have an exclamation mark on its back, I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be the mark of a shoe since it's always stepped on. This also basically makes Stunfisk quite literally a sole fish, a term often used to refer to various species of flat fish which Stunfisk resembles. Love this guy.
Stunfisk appeared in the anime as a henchmen of Ash's eventual Palpitoad, his boss hiring him to attack Ash and Oshawott for intruding in their territory. Stunfisk ended up being caught by Cilan alongside Ash catching Palpitoad in one of the strangest ways possible---he defeated Stunfisk by fishing it out and then was able to catch it without an actual Pokemon battle. Stunfisk pretty much only had two major battles in the show---one against a Bug/Fire Pokemon in the Club Tournament Arc where it lost, but not before showcasing the impressive ability to fly, and a short battle in the World Tournament Junior Cup where it quickly took out a Cinccino with Sludge Bomb. Otherwise it got a decent amount of minor appearances, especially compared to Palpitoad, and unlike Palpitoad actually got to somewhat keep its mischievous nature---though it does really irk me the two were never seen together ever again despite being introduce alongside one another and probably being friends and all. Despite its lack of major presence in the actual show around Best Wishes 2 it began to appear more and more alongside Cilan in the Openings and Endings, even overshadowing Pansage, and sort of became his "mascot Pokemon" in a way.