I genuinely didn’t like Quaquaval at first but quickly grew on me so fast that I’m have a hard time choosing between it and Meowscarada as my favorite Gen 9 starter. It has so much personality and was adore how goofy it is!
I am from Spain, so I think I can help with the background and design origins of this fantastic trio (IMO is the best trio starter): Meowscarada: as you said, Meowscarada is based on magicians and parties. However, the real origin behind it is the meiga from Galicia. Galician meigas are a type of evil witches that enjoyed wreaking havoc, tormenting and deceiving people. Meigas had a very strong link to nature and were thought to live in forests.They were really popular in the Middle Age and had a sense of mystery and mysticism around them. Skeledirge: there is another reason as to why Skeledirge is Ghost type too. The hint is in its name "dirge", which is as you said a mournful song. This is strongly related to Portugal, as there is a type of songs called "fado". Fados consist of mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor, and infused with a sentiment of resignation, fate and melancholy. Portugal is very famous because of the fados and its most known and popular word; "saudade", which symbolizes a feeling of loss or longing. Quaquaval: it is based on samba (the dance you talk about in the video) and the capoeira. This is the starter with most Portuguese references of the trio. Meowsacarda has Spanish references and Skeledirge has references from both Portugal and Spain.
The sad thing is… Meowscarada making its mark in competitive took a plummet with the nerf of Protean and Libero. What could’ve been done is Pokémon with those abilities be unable to Terastal period. It would’ve laid the code work to enable Mega Evolution, Z Power, and Dynamax to function in this game and beyond.
@@manoftruth0935 that doesn’t make it bad? Its still a decent ability my guy cus your still removing a plausible weakness and meowsca has u turn to make up for such downsides?
I sure like all of them from the beginning. Especially Quaquaval and Meowscarada who I've used in Scarlet and Violet respectively. They're not only strong but they nailed what they were going for with their origins
Just to throw a bit of more knowledge here, “el drac” is Catalan, not Spanish, for “the dragon”. It is pronounce “al-drak”. Is a statue situated in Parc Güell and they use a type of technique called “trencadís”. Design by Gaudí, this whole park also inspired the style of Mesagoza in the game.
Quaquaval is a step in the right direction for a Rio De Janeiro inspired region if you ask me. Hopefully it will happen someday as if it does Quaquaval should make a appearance in that Rio De Janeiro inspired region as well. (I also really want to see a Pokémon based on the Spix’s Macaw so bad)
You said Quaquaval has to do with Portuguese and Spanish carnaval, but used Rio's Carnaval as an example. Brazil is a former Portuguese colony not being part of Portugal anymore (in fact both examples occur outside the Iberian peninsula). One of dex entries (Scarlet) mentions that Quaxly migrated from a distant land. Considering that Skeledirge has a lot of Mexican inspiration, I would hazard a guesses that one of the motifs in the starter trio is colonization as well as culture. I just can't place Meowscarada, but it mask might refer to some specific tradition from a former colony.
I originally theorized that the themes for the Paldean Starters were based off of children’s stories: Marmaduke the Magic Cat, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, and Drew the Dancing Duck. But the theme of celebrations also works. As for theme by type, Meowscarada could be based off of the extinct Issoire Lynx, Skeledirge can take the place of the snake in the Fire Starter Chinese Zodiac theory (I know it’s not exact but like with Typhlosion for the rat it’ll have to do), and Quaquaval sticking with the semi-aquatic animals is of course a duck
@@sabercat5490 I already know that Skeledirge doesn’t fit into the zodiac theory as perfectly as we would’ve liked. Heck, I was hoping for an evolution based off of the culebre, which is a serpent. But that didn’t happen so oh well. But like I said with the Typhlosion line, which is based off of an echidna, a stoat, and a honey badger, none of them fit into the rat zodiac, but we put them there anyway because it just had to do, even though it’s inaccurate
Okay, so according to Lockstin’s video on the Paldean Starters, crocodiles we’re once mistaken as serpents by Christoper Columbus. So yeah… that’s the explanation for why we have a fire croc instead of an actual fire snake
I like the Gen 9 Starters and their Designs Meowcarada Grass Type Incinaroar Magician / Gentleman Thief the Mask Possibly hiding Dark Side to it making Dark type good Skelidirge Fire Type Feralagter a Singer with Day of the Dead costumes making the Ghost typing and Quaquaval Water type Blaziken a Dusk DanceFighter with samba Dancer design.
Also Meowscrada can have inspiration from the Gentleman Thief Archetype/Trope. In which the Archetype/Trope is known as Kaitou translates to Phantom Thief
I love quaquaval very good design for what it's based on so much personality so good in Battle it's humanoid but Blaziken is also a humanoid bird but still cool quaquaval os very cool and underated in my opinion I started to like it more because of all the hate it gets and it's a peacock
Great video!! I learned a lot quickly, it was super interesting. My favorite among the three is absolutely Skeledirge, but I also kinda like the other two.
I heard its human forcing genetics mutation to animal something-something. As the lizard become dragon, frog grow flower and turtle grow guns. And the legendary is straight a man made mew.
@@eljordinio7647 1)Keep in mind not all dinosaurs are reptiptiles and 2) the -saur suffix was put there cause they had the beleif that they were reptile but later found out that they had feathers in some cases and fins in others.
@@Whelp140 Well that's just the 2 of you, for me I like how Gamefreak imcorporate Pokemon designs that goes with the region and theme that's base on. It does more than just naming and creating the look of the mon is base on. Like Skeledirge just clicks to me as something as a mascot for the day of the dead in Spain with how it looks and is just genius overall.
I love all three of these guys, but their official artwork is really bad. Meowscarada and Quaquavel don't look like they do in game at all, and skeledirge's eye looks weird.
The bird is horrible for me. I hate it. The cat is my favorite, maybe making look less... Furry would be nice Skeledorge is just to blocky! He looks like a robot!
How do these three fall under the general starter themes of "Extinct Animal Grass Starter", "Chinese Zodiac Fire Starter" and "Weapon/Marine Animal Water Starter".
I guess Meowscarada (and I guess also technically Quaquaval too) will join the ranks of the group/faction of Starter Pokemon that despite the gender ratio, their design plus theme-origin heavily implies them to being Female Pokemon; just like they did with Delphox and Primarina. Meowscarada's reference would be from female masquerade stageshow magicians, and Quauquaval's humanoid design theme appearance, overworld movement animations, pokemon category (even its name in both english & japanese), and even its species origin is based on Female Carnival Dancers; which it being female makes sense if you know the culture & look at Quaquaval for it
Even though Gen9's starters are controversially colonialist and racist as is currently being talked about on the internet, I'm still going to play with Meowscarada because Scarlet and Violet are just a game even though the general recommendation is to boycott them because the history of the Spain in Hispanic America is not good and honorable. But even though the inspiration behind the design of the starters is inter Atlantic, that doesn't mean they're bad, and the masked lynx magician, singing skull crocodile, and dancing peacock fighter are still nice design and resemble the Gen3 starter design.
Right of the bat the two mascots are the biggest disappointment in terms of legendaries like dude its a damn motorbike lizard pokemon Tf?and scovillian is a meme mon cuz its two heads look like two baby bellpeppers thats been sitting out in the kitchen for a month rotting away and the designers put it on a small body with two short stumps for legs. A 6 year old can do that. In that there is no "creativity and cleverness". Dodrio looks nice with its mink fur coat and three heads like a hydra. Drippy if u ask me. All it needs is a diamond chain. Gen9 mons are trash looking. Im willing to hear out the lore but yeah. Gen 8's mascots are 10x better too, zacian is zoro with the sword in its mouth prepared to do 1 sword style on dat ass. And rillaboom and cinderace looks sick asf too. So here we go -Meowscarada
Scovillain is based on the drama masks is one happy one sad but yeah it's still a bad design imo. But it's no worse than three megnamites or literal sludge growing bigger.
