Category Archives: Pokémon

Love That Leviathan

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Nathan

I’d been meaning to discuss Leviathan a little more, which I think was inspired by the name being used for the base of the rebel organization Astrea in Cosmic Star Heroine. Considering all the other references to classic games, I had thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Cartoons, Celtic, Christianity, Comics, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Japanese, Judaism, Language, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Pokémon, Religion, Semitic, Video Games, Welsh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Right Off the Bat

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Nathan

When I played the first Dragon Quest, then called Dragon Warrior, I had a strategy guide from Nintendo Power that described Drakees as flying baby dragons.  This was interesting to me, as it gave a bit of a hint into … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dragon Quest, Dreams, Etymology, L. Frank Baum, Mario, Mega Man, Monsters, Onyx Madden/Jim Nitch, Oz, Oz Authors, Pokémon, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not Dying Today

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Nathan

Someone proposed on a Facebook post that you don’t actually kill the monsters in the Dragon Quest series. I don’t think I can link to it, since it’s on a private group. It generally seems like you are killing them, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, Animals, Authors, Cartoons, Comics, Dragon Quest, Greek Mythology, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Mythology, Percy Jackson, Pokémon, Rick Riordan, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wario vs. Everybody

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Nathan

I think I’ll write a bit about some video games I’ve never played. I feel a little silly doing that, but I did do some research. That’s something, right? Anyway, I like to understand what these games do in terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Magic, Maps, Mario, Monsters, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weasels on the Wind

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Nathan

Another mythical Japanese creature, or yokai, that came up in the Pokémon videos I talked about last week is the kamaitachi, the probable inspiration for the Sneasel. The name kamaitachi literally means “sickle weasel,” and that’s basically what they are, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Chinese, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Humor, Japanese, Language, Monsters, Mythology, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Such Shellfish Women

Posted on June 29, 2019 by Nathan

I’m not really not that knowledgeable about Pokémon, but I have played Pokémon Yellow and picked up a few other things here and there. These are mostly about the original Pokémon, though, and there have been so many others since … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Chinese, Etymology, Japanese, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You Always Lose with Impundulus

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Nathan

I’ve written a bit about thunderbirds before, but I’ve only recently come across their African counterparts, lightning birds. They’re part of Zulu, Pondo, and Xhosa culture; and beliefs about them vary somewhat. The most common name for the bird seems … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Animals, Chinese, Magic, Medicine, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Conquering Evil with Cuteness

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Nathan

Is everybody ready for me to discuss a video game I haven’t actually played? In this case, it’s Devil World, a 1984 Famicom game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. While there was a European version, it was never released in North … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Islam, Kirby, Mario, Pac-Man, Pokémon, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thunderbolt and Lightning, Very Very Frightening Me

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Nathan

One god I’ve been meaning to look at for a while is the Japanese Raijin, a thunder deity. It’s interesting that we tend to use the term “thunder god” (the literal meaning of the name Raijin) even though it’s the … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy, Japanese, Mario, Mythology, Norse, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Care of Magical Creatures

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Nathan

One question that I see occasionally is whether all the animals on the Pokémon world are considered Pokémon, or just some of them. This page lists some non-Pokémon animals. For example, the Pokédex entry for a Gastly says it can … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Characters, Harry Potter, Magic, Monsters, Oz, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment