Okidogi, Munkidori & Fezandipiti
The latter of Scarlet & Violet's two DLC's nonetheless bring us possibly the most interesting "legendary trio" I think we've possibly ever seen, and by far the one with the most fleshed-out storyline, in ways that are all admittedly pretty cool for this franchise. Really, get a load of these shifty-looking bozos, posing like a squad of Tokusatsu villains! In fact, isn't that just another dang Doronbo gang?! How many Doronbos does Pokemon need?! It would appear to be several, I guess! Several many!!
Known as the "Loyal Three," these Pokemon are indeed a band of troublemaking "villains," the first time any Pokemon have been contextualized outside Team Rocket's Meowth, which was only that particular Meowth, and only in the anime. Fitting for the first poison-type legendary trio, but ironic for a trio consisting of a monkey, a dog and a pheasant; the same three animals who heroically accompany the Japanese folk hero Momotaro, a boy born from a peach. In what way could that factor into these Pokemon? The answer is a very silly way, that's what!
Known as the "Loyal Three," these Pokemon are indeed a band of troublemaking "villains," the first time any Pokemon have been contextualized outside Team Rocket's Meowth, which was only that particular Meowth, and only in the anime. Fitting for the first poison-type legendary trio, but ironic for a trio consisting of a monkey, a dog and a pheasant; the same three animals who heroically accompany the Japanese folk hero Momotaro, a boy born from a peach. In what way could that factor into these Pokemon? The answer is a very silly way, that's what!
The dog, Okidogi, is based on a Shiba Inu, except it's big and burly and threatening. Why, I do believe that's the very opposite of those comical wee beasts! Its shaggy fur is mostly black, with toxic green where a Shiba has white, and vivid magenta highlights including its nose, inner ears, paw pads, crescent markings that intersect its mean yellow eyes, and a curious chain of three large rings attached to its neck, a little like a broken leash. A neat touch is also how the fur around its waist might remind you of dark clouds encircling a mountain, the whole Pokemon giving off an oni-like vibe.
A poison/fighting type, Okidogi is said to have once been a much smaller, weaker Pokemon of some unspecified species, but its "toxic chain" stimulated its muscles and transformed it into "a ruffian with a short temper." Like the rest of its team, its "Toxic Chain" ability has a chance to badly poison any other Pokemon it targets with any move at all!
A poison/fighting type, Okidogi is said to have once been a much smaller, weaker Pokemon of some unspecified species, but its "toxic chain" stimulated its muscles and transformed it into "a ruffian with a short temper." Like the rest of its team, its "Toxic Chain" ability has a chance to badly poison any other Pokemon it targets with any move at all!
The poison/psychic Munkidori is the smallest of the three, and only the second or third time I've found a monkey Pokemon to be all that aesthetically charming. It's a shaggy black monkey with a simple, cylindrical body shape, almost like a big giant thumb, with a cartoonish blue face, more dour-looking yellow eyes than the canine, and a more headband-like "toxic chain" around its head. It's one of the simplest, most stylized Pokemon I think I've ever seen in a legendary set, and to most tastes the "ugliest," but that's what do you expect from a skeevy little "Evil Genius?" If you hadn't guessed, it used to be a "dim-witted" Pokemon, but the toxic chain accelerated its brainpower! Oh, god, this monkey is perpetually high. Easily one of the most frightening sentences you could say about a primate.
Finally, there's Fezandipiti, the poison/fairy pheasant, an elegant but sly looking bird whose black and red body looks a little like a kimono, with its own toxic chain forming a tied ribbon in front. The long, purple "eyelash" plumes and purple beak tip nicely balance out the color of the chain, and those are some creepy eyes for a bird Pokemon, aren't they? Something about them is a little too human.
This Pokemon used to be "drab," but it desired to be beautiful and loved, so the poison stimulants of the chain gave it more dazzling plumage, a melodious voice and captivating pheromones, even leading some human cultures to worship it as a bringer of good fortune. FOOLS!
The only thing I don't like about these three Pokemon is that they're so explicitly one-of-a-kind characters. The games have always been a bit vague as to whether most "legendary" and/or "mythical" Pokemon can be considered entire species, and I much prefer the idea that they are in some way canonically replicable, because otherwise I feel completely wrong even considering them for my personal, signature Pokemon Team. It just breaks the immersion! We can't ALL take the same weird guy home as a pet! You don't even meet any other trainers with any of those weird guys, except when it's plot-relevant! Most legendaries are even genderless, but these three are always "male," and they still can't reproduce in-game even with a Ditto, which all feels like deliberate confirmation that these are, indeed, one-of-a-kind characters in universe.
The idea of three Pokemon as their own nefarious "Rocket Gang," on the other hand, feels highly overdue and a lot of fun. I also obviously like the concept of the poison type unnaturally enhancing Pokemon like a drug, or in this case like a supernatural curse! But where did they get this Monkey's Paw of a steroid? What diabolical fiend would even willingly put a steroid in the actual paw of a monkey?! Were they crazy!? Or rather, was IT crazy?! You'll find out, of course, but in just a few more entries...
This Pokemon used to be "drab," but it desired to be beautiful and loved, so the poison stimulants of the chain gave it more dazzling plumage, a melodious voice and captivating pheromones, even leading some human cultures to worship it as a bringer of good fortune. FOOLS!
The only thing I don't like about these three Pokemon is that they're so explicitly one-of-a-kind characters. The games have always been a bit vague as to whether most "legendary" and/or "mythical" Pokemon can be considered entire species, and I much prefer the idea that they are in some way canonically replicable, because otherwise I feel completely wrong even considering them for my personal, signature Pokemon Team. It just breaks the immersion! We can't ALL take the same weird guy home as a pet! You don't even meet any other trainers with any of those weird guys, except when it's plot-relevant! Most legendaries are even genderless, but these three are always "male," and they still can't reproduce in-game even with a Ditto, which all feels like deliberate confirmation that these are, indeed, one-of-a-kind characters in universe.
The idea of three Pokemon as their own nefarious "Rocket Gang," on the other hand, feels highly overdue and a lot of fun. I also obviously like the concept of the poison type unnaturally enhancing Pokemon like a drug, or in this case like a supernatural curse! But where did they get this Monkey's Paw of a steroid? What diabolical fiend would even willingly put a steroid in the actual paw of a monkey?! Were they crazy!? Or rather, was IT crazy?! You'll find out, of course, but in just a few more entries...
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