Natu and Xatu

Natu is another little bird pokemon, but it's our first-ever psychic flying type, which is pretty cool. Its design and color scheme are obviously meant to look "Aztec," but it's pretty vague.

When Natu evolves into Xatu, it takes on a more distinctive "South American" motif with aspects of a North American totem pole. It feels like a mangling of cultures other people might be better equipped to analyze, but on its merits as a Pokemon, I really like the eeriness of this line's eyes and especially the second, false face on Xatu's chest. It's one of those designs with oddly perfect geometry - a sphere for a head and a lot of straight lines and angles - but in this case, it's a stylistic choice to intentionally resemble a carved or crafted artifact. It's kind of a shame so many later Pokemon would have the same artificial looking geometry for just no reason at all.

Awkwardly interesting.

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