Man, Pokemon sure has gotten complicated since I was a kid.
Back then things were pretty straight forward – get your partner, catch some pidgeys,
stomp down the gyms and wreck that asshole blue in the pokemon league.
Sure there was the team rocket ark there and some legendaries to get but besides that we
had a simple rpg about catching anthropomorphic-ish animals and making them fight on our behalf.
Even those legendaries were easy to grasp, big birdies who made it rain or whatever,
and mewtwo who was an experiment gone wrong.
When gen 2 came around it was essentially the same deal.
Once we got over the pikablue conspiracies it was back to big powerful birds and some
annoying as hell to catch doggos.
But getting into pokemon now is like starting one piece at episode 800... -ruff.
There's so much lore and complex concepts constructed around these abused animals that
(if it wasn’t one of the most popular game franchises ever created) it may be kinda hard
to get into.
Seriously!
We now have a pantheon of pokemon gods ruling over time and space, creation, destruction,
light, dark, the upside down (ehem I mean the "distortion world") anyway you get it.
Lot's of crazy stuff happening here.
In particular - with the new sun and moon sequels; cleverly named "ultra sun and moon"
(really though, how do you come up with stuff like that?
Amazing!)
We have a whole new set of questions regarding new entities revealed in generation 7: the
ultra beasts.
What are ultra beasts?
Where do they come from?
Are they even ACTUALLY pokemon?
Whats all this crap im hearing about "alchemy" in the games?
Can it explain the purpose of the Ultra Beasts?
We here at Treesicle have been looking in-depth into these questions hoping to find an answer!
We want to get to the bottom of this beasty nonsense and make sense of these weirdos,
(weird even considering pokemon's standards).
It shouldn't be too hard for experienced researchers, right?
it's not like the master craftsman of the pokemon universe would use something cliché
to explain away inconsistencies in lore like alternative timelines or interdimensional....
Aw SHIT!
So if you don't know the pokemon timeline is all messed up.
So I’m not gonna get into it!
All you need to know is that there's a couple different timelines existing in parallel dimensions
and there's also other dimensions and wormholes and pokemon who can create wormholes and little
explanation from the creators and we're all screwed, THANKS POKEMON.
Now if you're a little confused that’s cool, you should be.
Using plot devices like wormholes in a storyline is like using a bandaid on a gaping head wound.
It might kinda clean up a bit, but the underlying mess is still there.
However, scientifically the concept of another dimension is totally a thing...possibly.
Another universe like ours where things are similar but also very different.
Maybe physics don’t work the same there as they do here, maybe the light spectrum
is totally different or energy itself travels in a different way throwing everything we
think we know out the window.
UB's or ultra beasts live in another dimension, or maybe another universe.
It's hard to say, but because of that, can we truly classify what they are?
Why don’t we drop back down into reality for a second and let me ask you a simpler
question.
On our earth we know exactly what defines the different kingdoms of life down to the
cellular level..we've got plantae, animalia, fungi, protista, archaebacteria and other
fun stuff... but what if the creatures from another dimension DEFIED those criteria?
What if what we considered life is an extremely narrow-minded view in the grand scheme of
things?
Perhaps there's even creatures within our own universe, even our own galaxy that completely
defy our static classifications of life?
What would that do to science?
What would that do to our perception of existence?
Remember those questions for now, and try to understand the way we westerners look at
the world is usually pretty one dimensional, it's okay!
That's just the way our society works, but today let's look at things a little differently.
Well let's take pokemon for example.
The pokemon world is a (fictional) alternate universe to our own.
Things are similar like gravity and there's also people there, wildlife, water, carbon,
but there's also pokemon.
Now pokemon are not animals, they are pokemon- a totally separate classification of life.
Think of the difference between fungi and animalia, it's like that.
Pokemon are alive so they belong to the tree of life but they are a NEW branch all to themselves.
Ultra beasts are from another universe or dimension either parallel or adjacent.
This place is called ultra space.
We don’t even know if physics are the same there, and it's hard to speculate how they
could be classifiable in comparison to pokemon if they come from such a truly different place!
But let’s talk about what we do know.
Ultra beasts are pokemon-like; meaning they have types for example dark/dragon.
They have movesets like pokemon do and can learn the same moves pokemon can.
their base stats are all prime numbers and all of those stats equal out to 570 across
the board; making each one comparable to a legendary pokemon.
UB's can also be captured like normal pokemon as well.
But that's where the similarities come to a stop.
I think we may be barking up the wrong scientific tree.
So les get weird and look at the motif of the new era of pokemon games: alchemy.
Alchemy was a real-world practice which mixed religion, magic, philosophy and chemistry
and was practiced for thousands of years.
The study was a means to finding the origin of all things, the deep secrets of spirit
and matter, and the keys to the cosmos.
Also riches and everlasting life.
The practice generally boiled down into changing one substance into another, like converting
iron to gold for example.
However, due to it's semi-mystical background; alchemy uses a lot of symbolism in order to
explain complicated concepts, this ranges from simple images which represent basic elements
like sulfur, to a green lion eating a sun.
Knowing pokemon sun and moon the image of a sun lion should come directly to mind as
it's on the cover!
Solgaleo not only plays a huge role in the game, in ultra space, and with the UB's but
also connects the pokemon universe and alchemy instantly.
I mean, he isn't green but STILL, this is difficult to deny.
Regardless, unlike most legendary pokemon before him, Solgaleo is a fully evolved pokemon.
This means there's prior stages to his evolution: Cosmog and Cosmoem.
Also at first glance it's easy to see these pokemon have something to do with cosmological
imagery.
Cosmog seems to be some form of nebulaeic gas and stars, and Cosmoem seems to have the
gaseous part of it's being trapped within an eye shaped container, creating a vision
of space within itself.
This pokemon cannot move, and as a second stage is reminiscent of a cocoon.
But inevitably cosmoem erupts into this blazing sun-lion pokemon with crazy power and the
ability to absorb the energy of the sun!
And more importantly create ultra wormholes: the passages from which the UB's enter the
pokemon world.
Now in alchemy the imagery of the green lion eating the sun represents the middle phase
of an alchemic process.
It's counterpart is known as the peacock's tail.
Often this phase called "greening" is seen as a false finish.
In other words, when the alchemist or philosopher would see green coming from their experiment
they would think they'd found their enlightenment when in reality there was more processing
to be done before the transmutation was complete.
Meaning perhaps this final evolution of cosmog is just the start of a full alchemic process
on a global scale.
But we'll get to that.
The nebula which made up the majority of cosmog and Cosmoem's body now resides in the forehead
of solgaleo, making up Solgaleo's third eye.
So far so good?
Great!
The third eye is a symbol of wisdom, not wisdom of life but of spirituality.
It's the window to the ethereal realm where we philosophers are able to look deeper.
Past the surface, past the core and into pure understanding of ourselves and the universe
at large.
It's the ultimate cheat code.
Wall hacks and aimbots got nothing on the third eye!
But what can solgaleo do with this third eye?
Open up ultra wormholes.
Now to us, ultra space and UB's seem kinda threatening, it's a dark unknown, the only
glimpse we get of this place is through the area in sun and moon where Nihilego takes
control of Lusamine for its own purposes.
Now I’ll put some links in the description for more explanation, but the gist is that
it's a dark alien place full of frightening alien creatures.
However to alchemists the dark (the unknown) was welcoming- as well as the first step in
the process of alchemic color changing known as blackening.
These tinkerers mentally saw blackness and emptiness as "pregnant with possibility" They
also usually started experiments with either extreme heat (causing solid materials to blacken),
or by letting organic matter rot into black sludge.
Destruction is a core concept of change, which is what alchemy is all about.
These UB's come from a place of darkness, and are all extremely powerful and destructive
in nature.
They aren't like normal pokemon, at least not from what we've seen so far.
But before going back to them, let's look at one last tie-in pokemon, necrozma.
If you know a little latin his name should ring a bell, but for those of you who don't,
the prefix "necro" means death.
(See necrosis or necrophilia).
Anyway, necrozma is a pitch-black, violent pokemon in constant search of light and was
found deep within the earth where it laid dormant for a very long time.
It was said because of its odd shape and strange powers it's rumored to come from another world.
This implies necrozma may itself be an ultra beast, but I have a
different perception.
If you look closely at Necrozma's design it has some interesting parts, big clawed hands,
little hook like wings, but most importantly it's face looks like it's resting in the mouth
of a dragon, and Necrozma's tail rests on top of its head almost in the dragon's mouth.
A good buddy of ours also did a video on Necrozma if you’re interested.
We see you, Lockstin
Now if you like Treesicle chances are you probably like anime, and if you like anime
you may have seen this symbol before.
This is the oroboros, it was the symbol found on the homunculae in fullmetal alchemist,
but is actually a real alchemic symbol related to the animal and color symbolism I mentioned
before.
As you can see the image is a snake or a dragon eating its own tail.
It's used to represent the completion of an enlightenment, the balance between light and
dark forces which form a platform for the soul on which to move forward otherwise known
as the philosopher's stone.
The dragon's head and tail represent the polarities of emotion; for instance great sorrow or incredible
happiness, but it is only when the dragon clasps it's own tail that balance can be achieved.
As we can see through Necrozma's design; the tail has yet to be fully grasped and instead
of a pure pokemon we have an unformed black force of destruction.
Alright so that's a lot of mind-bending information, but what does this REALLY have to do with
the UB's and whether or not they're actually pokemon?
That is the point of this video after all.
Well if you look at the whole picture with solgaleo, ultra space, the UB's and necrozma
we can get an idea.
With Solgaleo's previous forms cosmog and cosmoem you can see them as unformed thoughts
beginning to take shape.
When they are finally formed cosmoem evolves into solgaleo with his third eye and the ability
to open the doors to ultra space, to deeper understanding- and then there's necrozma:
the oroboros with the dragons tail just out of reach of its mouth.
What we're looking at here is a whole alchemic process in it's middle form, yet to be complete...currently
unfolding.
The path to true understanding is still being trodden.
While some would think solgaleo is the end of a transmutation because it's a powerful
pokemon, messenger of the sun and all, he's really just a piece of a larger puzzle.
The key to the door.
The door to ultra space.
Which is full of ultra beasts.
Ever heard the saying "you have to break some eggs to make an omelette”?
Well the UB's are here to break the eggs.
And the eggs (the initial ingredients) are the pokemon world, and the omelette (the end
goal) is a new universe.
Breaking eggs to make an omelette or rather...changing the Pokemon world drastically from how we
know it to the world of the Ultra Beasts design is itself an alchemic process.
It will bring the unknown but from that will spill out a higher level of understanding
of all things for any being who survives.
A level of understanding that not only encompasses the world as we know it, but also realms parallel
and adjacent.
You get it!
What we're seeing is the pokemon world changing, and the UB's are the catalyst; which can best
be described as the fire that lights the match.
But instead of the pokemon company throwing in another timeline we're actually getting
to watch the pokemon world change first hand.
Personally I don’t think the UB's are pokemon, more like new ingredients in the experiment,
they're here to change things, to shake things up, turn one thing into another thing.
Gameplay wise yeah, we can use them and battle them and they're fun, -sure.
but more than that they're an actually well implemented plot device and fit into the overall
theme of alchemy in the new generation of pokemon.
Maybe you don't buy the spiel about Ultra Beasts bringing an evolution to the Pokemon
universe which those in it could not even comprehend.
I'm looking at you Ash!
That's fine.
Because these UB's could also be coming here to destroy everything!
To start the cycle anew!
You might find this scary, but think of this as the phoenix rising from the ashes.
Also an alchemic symbol!
What exactly that proverbial phoenix would look like is anyone's guess.
Remember that whole bit about destruction leading to better understanding?
That's the perspective these other-dimensional beasts are coming from.
Whether they mean to bring a world-preserving, reality-mixing evolution or a world-destroying,
reality shattering rise from the ashes, these existential threats don't mean to be threats
at all: they're a catalyst for the process of an ever-changing universe.
A universe that changes to understand itself.
No matter how terrifying that change may be.
And...that's my take on the Ultra Beasts!
And for the full-metal fans out there, did you know that pokemon sun and moon had a homunculus
in it!?
Let me know if you'd like me to cover more of this in the future, or heck, maybe you'd
like a full metal alchemist video?
Are you enjoying ultra sun and moon?
What's your dog's name?
My hope is that we wrap the UB thing up in ultra sun and moon and get an answer to a
lot of the questions we have left, and in generation 8 we get a whole new set of weird
crap to speculate about.
but what do you think?
Are the UB's pokemon or not?
Let me know along with the answers to every single question i asked in this video.
My name's Ryan and I'll blah blah blah.
See you all next time!