One of my favorite video games has always been Pokemon.
I think what I like most about it is the variety of Pokemon that you can collect, each with
their own unique personality and abilities and many of them with interesting backstories
that were sometimes a little dark for a children's game.
Eventually I learned that many Pokemon are inspired by mythology from around the world.
Some of my favorites are based on supernatural monsters known as yokai, which have been a
part of Japanese folklore for centuries.
Yokai take many forms, they can be human-like or take the form of animals or they can even
look like inanimate objects.
It's easy to imagine how they could have influenced the creators of Pokemon.
So today I thought it would be interesting to talk about six Pokemon based on yokai.
Number 6
Misdreavus, based on Nukekubi.
The nukekubi are a kind of yokai who appear human during the day but at night when they're
asleep, their heads come off and take on a life of their own.
Picture a disembodied head that floats around scaring people, sucking blood and causing
all kinds of mischief.
When the night is over, the head returns to the body.
Often times nukekubi are cursed women who are unaware of their supernatural power and
wake up feeling like they've just woken up from a nightmare.
Misdreavus is a ghost type Pokemon who is also a disembodied head that flies around
scaring people.
It's said to get it's nourishment from fear, absorbing energy into its red orbs.
Misdreavus is also known for it's shrieking, which may have been influenced by tales of
banshees.
Number 5
Exeggutor, based on Jinmenju
The jinmenju is a type of tree that bears strange fruits that look like human heads.
The fruit are said laugh when they become ripe and fall to the ground.
Although they are rarely eaten by humans, they supposedly have a sweet and sour taste,
much like a citrus fruit.
I don't know about you, but eating a fruit shaped like a human head is not really all
that appetizing.
Can you imagine it looking up at you as you bite into it?
This legend actually originated in China and later spread to Japan.
It's pretty obvious that Exeggutor is influenced by stories about jinmenju, as the Pokemon
is depicted as a tropical tree bearing fruit with faces.
Number 4
Mawile, based on Futakuchi-onna, the two-mouthed woman
Futakuchi-onna is kind of similar to the nukekubi in that they are women who have been cursed
for some reason or other.
In this case, the woman develops a fully functioning second mouth in the back of her head.
Her hair acts like tentacles that grab food to put in the mouth.
The mouth can also speak and often tortures the poor woman by constantly asking for food.
Personally I think this is one of the weirdest Pokemon, it just seems so impractical and
strange to have this giant mouth in the back of your head.
Number 3
Whiscash, based on Namazu
Namazu is a giant catfish that is responsible for causing earthquakes when it trashes around.
It lives under the islands of Japan and is guarded by the god Kashima.
After the catastrophic Edo earthquake in 1855, Namazu prints became wildly popular in Japan.
This particular print shows a deity that fell asleep while guarding the Namazu and thus
allowed the disaster to happen.
It also depicts Kashima returning on horseback too late to stop the giant catfish from causing
the earthquake.
Oh it also shows a thunder deity engaging in, uh, thunder farting.
The influence on the Pokemon Whiscash is obvious.
It's depicted as a catfish and it's original pokedex entry reads:
An episode of the Pokemon anime featuring Whiscash was actually banned because of earthquakes
that occurred in Niigata prefecture shortly before it was slated to air.
The episode remains banned to this day.
Number 2
Dunsparce, based on Tsuchinoko
The tsuchinoko is a small snake-like creature with a central girth that's larger than its
head or tail.
They were first mentioned in the Kojiki, which is actually the oldest known book in Japan.
This yokai is kind of interesting in that it's also a cryptid, since people up until
today have reported sightings of it.
According to legend, tushinoko are able to speak and have a propensity for alcohol.
They're also said to be able to jump and to swallow their tails in order to roll around,
similar to the fabled hoop snake.
The influence of this can clearly be seen in dunsparce's design, as he resembles a tsuchinoko
and has stripes and wings like a bee.
Number 1
Drowzee, based on Baku
Baku are spirits from ancient Chinese and Japanese folklore said to have been created
from pieces that were left over when the gods finished creating all the other animals.
They have an elephant's trunk, a rhino's eyes, an ox's tail and tiger paws, however they
are also depicted as simply being tapirs, which are real animals related to horses that
live in South America and Southeastern Asia.
Legend says that when a child wakes up from a nightmare, they should call out to the Baku
three times by saying, “Baku-san come eat my dream.”
Kids have to be careful when doing this though, because if the baku is hungry enough, it will
also eat the good dreams as well as their hopes and desires.
Drowzee's very first poxedex entry states that it is able to eat people's dreams, however
it differs a little from Baku in that it only likes to eat pleasant dreams and becomes ill
when eating nightmares.
Well I hope you guys enjoyed this list.
I want to do a more in depth episode about yokai in the future because I find them really
interesting and weird.
I mean, they can range from scary to just plain funny.
For example, there's one that's literally just a giant hairy foot that crashes through
peoples' houses and demands to be washed.
Anyway thanks for watching and if you liked this video, please subscribe to Crypticc for
more.