#382 KYOGRE, #383 GROUDON, & #384 RAYQUAZA
This week we've got the legendary Weather Trio from Pokémon's Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald third generation titles from the Gameboy Advance. I have a lot of nostalgia towards the third generation because it was the first title that I anticipated with daily research into Pokémon spoilers! (Yes, really, it was a big deal to my dorky self). I especially have fond memories of Emerald thanks to the inclusion of the Battle Frontier that made the game far more replayable and, considering the strategy improved a lot with the third generation, I was very glad to have more game time. Now, let's get to business...
The mythological themes of this legendary trio are pretty awesome, in my opinion, as well as the tropes/archetypes they resemble that maybe, just maybe, puts them a little above some of the more abstract legendary groups. They are clearly designed to have similar geometric patterns, the same yellow eyes, but very different forms/colors to represent their elemental power. They are elemental guardians, comparable to a specific trio of monsters from the Bible, said to rule over the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere. The final design influence would very clearly be kaijuu films and monsters like Godzilla & Gamera with their reptillian designs, giant proportions, and epic powers that seem to cause a trend in legendaries that continued through the next two big legendary trios.
Kyogre is the Sea Basin Pokémon and is clearly based on a whale and, more specifically, an orca or killer whale. [Insert Shamu or Free Willy reference here]. This is interesting considering the environmental message of the game that involves two groups of eco-terrorists plotting to use these weather controlling Pokemon to, you guessed it, take over the world! In Pokémon Sapphire, Team Aqua wants to capture Kyogre to create a massive downpour, typhoons, and tsunamis to wipe the Pokéworld clean so they can rule it with the control of the big blue Leviathan (derp, did ya get my clever wordplay). Now, as for my thoughts on this Pokémon's designs, I think his design is perhaps a little more refined than Groudon, but not quite as cool (I went with Ruby back in day). Regardless of my bias, I still think it's a very cool legendary Pokémon and is distinct from the other big whale-design Pokémon Wailord.
Now, if Kyogre is a gentle giant Shamu... Groudon is a big red Gojirra! I mean, what young boy wouldn't want Pokémon Ruby after seeing this beast as the legendary exclusive? The ecoterrorists after Groudon, Team Magma, wanted to use him to cause volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and drought so they could destabilize the Pokéworld and, you guessed it again, take over the world with the help of this big red Behemoth (2/3)! Now, as for my thoughts on Groudon's design, that's actually fairly tricky. When I look back at the original sprite, I think it has sort of juvenile design but, when looking at it's sprite face-lift in newer titles, I can definitely see why I liked him in the first place; there is a lot going on in his design but it all helps get across that this isn't just another Rhydon body clone.
Okay, now, rather than going with the biblical references (since nobody knows who Ziz is *snort*), Rayquaza has a very Aztec Quetzalcoatl look about him. He is a giant green, yellow, and red serpent that flies through air and serves as a mediator between the other two Pokémon to try and keep them from ripping the world apart (think of him as a big dragon Mothra). He perches at the top of a tower, wear he controls the clouds and storms, and awaits the next time some foolish mortal mess with Groudon and Kyogre. Now, if you're wondering about my thoughts on this guy.... I think he has an awesome design! A serpentine body, painted with an intricated repeated circle design from head to tail, with connected parts, missile like rudders, and a fan tail, followed by a pair of lean but nasty looking claws on a clearly designated upper torso, and finally an awesome dragon head with fiece eyes and, most interesting, these bizarre looking red teeth. Rayquaza looks so very different and yet he fits right in for a legendary Pokémon and, perhaps, is my favorite legendary design of all time.
And that's all folks. Tune in next week and please leave your comments, questions, and insults against my basic humanity below. Wink.
