Topic: Pokémon to Animal and Creature Associations

Posted under Tag Alias and Implication Suggestions

When tagging a Pokémon it's tempting to also tag what animal or creature it most resembles. I don't think doing so is a necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes deciding what animal/creature a Pokémon looks most like and tagging it can be tricky.

Sometimes this is a non-issue. I don't think anyone will object tagging meowth as a cat for example.
Then there are the weirdos. Look at a Pokémon like slowbro. While it's based on a hermit crab, I think you would agree it looks nothing like a hermit crab and shouldn't be tagged as such under TWYS.
I think that ultimately when you can't decide what other species to tag a Pokémon as don't tag it as anything else.

I'd like to start somewhat of a project with this thread. Below I have listed all of the Pokémon that imply pokémon so far. Listed next to them right now separated by a dash are species tags (in most cases) that I personally believe would best suit the Pokémon. If I left it blank or used a vague term, it’s because I am not certain about what associations can be safely made or I believe that they could be controversial (the eeveelutions for example). Also, if one of the tabgs implies another tag, I didn’t bother to list those implicated tags. (Ex: I didn’t bother listing avian alongside bird.)

List of Implied Pokémon So Far

abra -
absol -
aerodactyl - pterodactyl
alakazam -
arbok - cobra
arcanine - canine
articuno - bird
bayleef -
beedrill - wasp
bidoof -
blastoise - tortoise
blaziken - chicken
braixen - fox
buizel - weasel
bulbasaur - dinosaur
caterpie - caterpillar
charizard - dragon
charmander - reptile
charmeleon - reptile
clefable -
doublade - sword
drowzee - tapir
eevee - fox
ekans - snake
espeon -
fennekin - fox
flareon -
floatzel - weasel
flygon - dragon
garchomp - shark
gardevoir -
gastly - ghost
glaceon -
goodra - slug
groudon -
growlithe - dog
hitmonlee -
honedge - sword
ivysaur - dinosaur flower
jolteon -
keldeo - unicorn
latias -
latios -
leafeon -
lickitung -
lopunny - rabbit
lucario - jackal
lugia - avian
luxray - lion
mew - feline
mewtwo feline
mienfoo -
mightyena - hyena
mismagius - ghost
muk - goo
nidoking -
nidoqueen -
nidoran -
nidorina -
nidorino -
ninetales - fox
onix - snake
pichu - rodent
pidgey - bird
pikachu - rodent
ponyta - pony
pyroar - lion
raichu - rodent
rattata - rat
reshiram - dragon
oddish -
riolu - jackal
serperior - snake
shaymin - I feel a distinction needs to be made here between its regular hedgehog like form and its reindeer like sky form via the creation of a new tag like "shaymin_(sky form)"
sylveon -
typhlosion - wolverine
umbreon -
vaporeon -
vulpix - fox
zangoose -
zoroark - canine
zubat - bat

What I would like is to start a pseudo-project where the community uses this thread to discuss and come to a mutual consensus about what other logical and TWYS valid associations to animals or creatures can be made to feral Pokémon, or in other words, having the same general appearance as in the official art. That being said, this is NOT a campaign to implicate these Pokémon to these tags.
I will be watching this thread carefully and updating the above list as new associations are agreed upon and as new Pokémon are implicated to the Pokémon tag. If you all don’t mind, I might go out of my way to update the wiki of these Pokémon with the valid associations we decide upon as well.
There will be plenty of debate and people might get a little feisty sometimes, such is understandable, but please control yourselves so that this thread doesn’t need to get locked.

Updated by 123easy

Genjar

Former Staff

Based on the previous discussions, the general consensus seems to be that Pokemon are Pokemon, and shouldn't be tagged as animals at all.

They may share some features with real life animals, but we already have species tags for them and adding anything else is redundant. As a compromise, I can see tagging them with the family (feline, canine, reptile, etc.); but tagging them as specific animals should be avoided.

Here's the ones that I disagree most with:
Blaziken: Doesn't really look anything like a chicken, and probably only gets tagged as one because of the name.
Goodra: This has been discussed several times... Even goo would fit better than slug.
Ivysaur: Flora fauna.
Lucario/Riolu: Just canine. I don't see any resemblance to jackals.
Mightyena: Usually drawn like a wolf or dog, rarely like a hyena. Canine would fit better here too.
Typhlosion: I've seen them tagged as weasel, badger, wolverine, porcupine, rodent, and many other species. Better to just leave it blank.

Updated by anonymous

Yeah, there's a handful of cases that are obvious, but the vast majority shouldn't have anything beyond general categories, canine, bird etc.

Some deserve more specific tags though, like wingull is obviously a seagull, rattata is a rat, buneary is a rabbit etc.

Updated by anonymous

Genjar said:
Based on the previous discussions, the general consensus seems to be that Pokemon are Pokemon, and shouldn't be tagged as animals at all.

They may share some features with real life animals, but we already have species tags for them and adding anything else is redundant. As a compromise, I can see tagging them with the family (feline, canine, reptile, etc.); but tagging them as specific animals should be avoided.

Here's the ones that I disagree most with:
Blaziken: Doesn't really look anything like a chicken, and probably only gets tagged as one because of the name.
Goodra: This has been discussed several times... Even goo would fit better than slug.
Ivysaur: Flora fauna.
Lucario/Riolu: Just canine. I don't see any resemblance to jackals.
Mightyena: Usually drawn like a wolf or dog, rarely like a hyena. Canine would fit better here too.
Typhlosion: I've seen them tagged as weasel, badger, wolverine, porcupine, rodent, and many other species. Better to just leave it blank.

agreed on all counts.

Updated by anonymous

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