Whenever a new Pokemon is introduced into the series, a great deal of fans' fascination and intrigue revolves around its art design. Despite seemingly simplistic or odd design choices, Pokemon artists are exceptionally adept at using 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:real-life inspirations – animals, mythology, geology, folklore, etﷺc. – as starting points for their impressive creations.
Some Pokemon muses are 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:quite obvious (i.e. eggs, keys, or literal garbage) while others are much more subtle, requiring a deeper dive into the abyss to fully grasp and understand their true origins. This is especially true of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dark-type Pokemon, ranking amongst the most popular, elegant, and absolutely hellish designs of the entire series. These 10 Dark Pokemon, in particular, po🥂ssess utterly captivating and bewitching origin stories that truly establish them as more than meets the eye.
10 Umbreon – Moon Rabbits and Black Cats 🍸
With its long pointed ears and a♕ffinity for darkness, Umbreon draws inspiration from the moon rabbit of East Asian folklore. According to Chinese legend, the moon rabbit uses a mortar and pestle to create the "elixir of life" for the Moon goddess Chang'e. Looking closely at the moon's surface reveals the legend's connection to reality in the .
Umbreon also possesses cat-like features, which contributes to its resemblance tꦇo a black cat, a common symbol of bad luck (or good, in Japan). Its round gold markings further allude to the Egyptian cat goddess Bastet.
9 Incineroar – Heel 🦩Wrestlers
Aside from its tiger- and cat-like features, Incineroar is based on professional wrestlers like Tiger Mask above. Its official category is the "Heel Pokemon," referring to the antagonistic hee🅘l wrestlers who often resort to cheating, excessive vio🔥lence, and other illegal/evil tactics to defeat their counterparts, the faces.
While faces are symbols of virtue, goodness, and heroism, heels embody vice, chaos, and utter villainy which explains Incineroar's Dark-typing as opposed to a Fighting-type (as if we needed any more 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fire/Fighting starters).
8 𒈔Zoroark – Kitsune
Like another well-known Fox Pokemon (that one with the nine tails),🦩 Zoroark's origin is most likely the kitsune of Japanese mythology. Kitsune are most often portrayed as shape-shifting trickster foxes, which lends credence to Zoroark and its classification as the "Illusion Fox Pokemon."
As for its etymology, Zoroark is a portmanteau of zorro (Spanish for fox) and dark. The subtle red markings on its face also allude to Kabuki theater make﷽up.
7 Houndoom – Cerber🍸us and the Hellhounds
One of the more obvious of the Dark-type designs (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:but no less scary), Houndoom is a Dobermann mixed with a hellhound, a devilish canine of legend that symbolized – and often delivered – imminent doom or death. The most famouꦫs of all hellhounds is the guard of the Greek Underworld, and Zagreus' good boyꦬ in Hades, Cerberus.
To really raise the fear factor, imagine an alternate version of Houndoom (either by evolution, Giganܫtamax, or regional form) with Ce🍷rberus' two extra heads...
6 🃏 Obstagoon – Gene Simmon⛎s
Obstagoon, one of several great 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Galar-exclusive evolutions, is biologically based on European badgers and raccoons, much like its pre-evolutions. Though above all else, it's a pure unadulterated hom🐭age to '70s glam rock (which has its roots in Britain), and the perfect cartoon doppelganger of KISS frontman Gene Simmons – tongue and all.
Simmons himself noted the uncanny resemblance and of the design, remarking that Pokemon's been "part of [his] household for decades" and its "homage toඣ KISS is flattering."
5 Grimmsnarl – Oni (Ogre) and the Boogeyman 🐼 ဣ
The terrifying Grimmsnarl is heavily inspired by folklore and mythology, particularly scary children's stories of grote♎sque and hairy humanoids – ogres, trolls, gremlins, goblins, the Boogeyman, and the Japanese oni. The Brothers Grimm wrote and published dozens of fairy tales in the 19th century featuring versions of these bizarre and frightening creatures.
Grimmsnarl also shares similarities in appearance and attributes to Grendel, one of three antagonists from the epic poem Be🤪owulf. Grendel is presented as a monstrous giant in possession of immense, violent strength and abundant body hair.
4 ꧑ Guzzlord – Lovecraftian Monstrositieღs
A truly gluttonous Dark/Dragon Ultra Beast, and arguably the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:ugliest of all Dark Pokemon, Guzzlord is the brainchild of Sword & Shie💞ld's Art Director James Turner. The latter a💞ctually revealed his after a fan asked about Guzzlord's origins.
Turner explained that Guzzlord is an amalgamation of literary abominations in the style of HP Lovecraft, with a more di🐠rect influence from Agrajag of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. He also linked Guzzlord's black-and-yellow coloration to JCB construction vehicles.
3 ♊ Bisharp – J♉apanese Samurai and Chess
Much like its pre-evolution Pawniard, Bisharp's name alludes to chess, namely the Bishop who moves in diagonal, cross-like l♚ines. This evolution plays on the fact that a Pawn in chess can be exchanged for a stronger piece (in this case, the Bishop) if it reaches the opponent's end of the board.
Its appearance and mannerisms also resemble Japanese samurai, including its affinity for using sharp blades to subdue opponents. The bi- prefix 𓂃refer▨s to its dual-bladed torso as well as the word "bisect," meaning "to slice in two."
2 Hydreigon – Hydra and 8-headed Dragons ಌ
Hydreigon's name is a combination of Hydra, drei (♊three in German), and dragon. As the name sugg🐠ests, its design is mainly based on the mythological multi-headed Lernaean Hydra – also known affectionately as "Lernie" to Zagreus of Hades.
The designers also seemed to draw from Japanese legend, specifically an eight-headed, eight-tailed, red-eyed dragon called𒉰 Yamata no Orochi𒆙. Just like Houndoom, an alternate form of Hydreigon with all those extra heads would be nothing short of frightening.
1 📖 Absol – Bai Ze and the Sphinx ඣ
The pure-Dark Absol bears striking resemblance to Bai Ze ("white m𓄧arsh") of Chinese mythology. Bai Ze is portrayed as an intelligent horned beast capable of human speech that has the power to predict plagues and other disasters. Absol's 🧸name, ab- (absence) and -sol (sun), suggests darkness and the solar eclipse, an omen of doom.
Absol also calls to mind the Sphinx with its human-like face and feline body. Mega Evolution adds a pair of wings to its back, furthe🏅r emphasizing its connection to the Egyptian chimera, while also playing on the archetype of the fallen angel.