@@4thstateofmatter662 ...Fun-Fact: If the Video-Essay doesnt have to be about Pokemon, "Some More News" will be there for you, being just like Gnoggin.
The original set of UBs are all based on planets in our solar system, and the gods they get their name from. Xurkitree is Jupiter/Zeus, and one of his major symbols is the oak tree. A lot of old European cultures associate oaks with lightning because they're the biggest trees in the area so act like a lightning-magnet. In the burned scars of a big oak after lightning strikes, parasitic mistletoe often grows. Mistletoe was seen as a blessing, a literal gift from the gods. This is why mistletoe is a Christmas thing and all this is the reason why Xurkitree looks like a Christmas tree with a star on top.
@@thatwaffleguy4958 yea okay, here's the breakdown. The Pokedex order of the UBs are all, almost, in the exact same order of the planets starting from the sun then going out. The only weird thing is that Buzzwole/Pheremosa and Kartana/Celesteela are reversed. I think this is because these 2 pairs are version counterparts, and they're doing a sort of ying-yang thing. Nihilego has the most detail and evidence for it. It is based on the god, planet, element and alchemical substance mercury. Hermes/Mercury literally has a flying brimmed hat in addition to the winged sandals and is 'god of boundaries' like how Nihilego is the fist UB to cross over to our world. it's also a play on the phrase 'mad as a hatter' because hat manufacturers used to use mercury which drove people insane. That's why Nihilego is a neurologic parasite, it's mercury poisoning. mercury is feminine in alchemy hence Nihilego mimics a little girl and the symbol for mercury is just the female symbol with a little hat on it Pheremosa is Venus duh Buzzwole is Mars duh. Also the Mars "male" planetary symbol is Mars's spear, which is probably referenced by the mosquito nose Xurkitree is Jupiter/Zeus, duh. Kartana is based on Saturn the god of harvest, whose symbol is the scythe Celesteela is based on some moon legend thing but it's also filling the role of Uranus the god of the sky and horizon, hence it being a rocket And lastly Guzzlord has honestly always been a large hole in this theory, but I think that's just because I don't know enough about it. Presumably, it SHOULD be Neptune, but aside from the trident-looking head on top idk how it relates. It seems to be based on a black hole more than anything but there's probably just something about Neptune/Poseidon I don't know about. Actually there's a lot I don't know, I really only analyzed these on the surface level. But dang man, it all seems like a bit much to just be coincidence.
Ultra Beasts tend to cross between organic and inorganic materials that would function as otherworldly beings, similar to SCPs or Trevor Henderson's Monsters.
Lockstin's friend and Poketuber Birdkeeper Toby actually did an Ultra Beasts as SCPs thing for some Halloween videos if you're interested in seeing them.
I feel like stackaka was more based on insects invading a home. It looks like a ruin so overrun with unown that it came to life with the arms of Arceus and sprouted legs to walk away
Always thought it was funny when you used that one friendship mechanic in USUM on stakataka, it would go idle and look you were literally talking to a brick wall. Also, regarding dandelions, they are actually edible and can be used for salad.
After you said ultra beasts are based on invasive things I thought Stakataka was a going to be a reference to gentrification or colonizers or something of the sort since it's in the Hawaii of Pokemon. It reads as new buildings being forcibly added and built so sturdy they don't leave, while said buildings also bring dozens of unwelcome 'tourists'.
I really hope they revisit the Ultra Beast idea in the future, if only to make MissingNo into one. It would be a really neat way to incorporate that piece of history into the game officially, and could still fit the UB themes on the standpoint of glitches being invasive to your game and corrupting the world.
I love how Scarlet and Violet also deal with this concept of invasive species. All of the trailers are focused on being nature documentaries and wildlife expeditions. And all of the paradox pokemon are invasive species, they bring up how if they were to all escape, they would destroy the natural environment of Paldea
Honestly, Blacephalon is my favorite of the Ultra Beast. When I saw the video about it being connected to Pennywise it easily became one of my top 10. But I'm also a big Steven King fan and have been since 5th grade. ^^;
I honestly also think that stakataka is kind of a reverse of unown as well - both have singular eyes per little guy, only unown stick while stakataka are literally the bricks that stack on each other.
5:44 Some months ago, no one would believe a minor Ace Attorney character like Geiru would go viral like that, to the point of appearing at a Ultra Beast video.
Ultra Beasts are such fascinating Pokemon. There are interpretations of them aligning to Deadly Sins or the planets, but I wish we could get more, even with their esoteric stats distribution.
By the way Stakataka could be based off a fire ant colony. If you have ever seen them in a flood, they group up in balls and roll over themselves as to breath
A star walks into a black hole but doesn't seen phased. The black hole then turns to the star and says, "I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation."
Blacephalon is based on a Clowns, Fireworks,Flowers,Dullahan (throws it's pumpkin head full of hellfire creating a massive explosion which explains Mind Blown) and a Nukekubi(the version that can remove their own head). Stakataka is made up of 137 Bricks and it's based a Yokai called a Mokumokuren.
maybe stakataka is based on a creature of the sci-fi eciclopedic book "All Tumorrows", the creature (i don't remember is name at the moment) is made off varius sentient flesh bricks with eyes, mouth an hears all over their surface that moves in the form of gigantic hive mind buildings (they were human colonist that tried to fight against a race of crazy bio ingenier named "Qu")
I thought those were representative of zip ties since we keep cords together with them. Also, I’m surprised you didn’t bring up Kudzu as well - an invasive vine/weed that was brought in for decoration and now we see it everywhere strangling trees and other plants.
Blasepholon could also be a reference to “The Colors Out of Space” by HP Lovecraft. The mysterious colors come from space in a meteor then explode on impact and spreads throughout the land nearby. It poisons the terrain making anything that consumes insane.
Stakkatakka always reminds me of the Modular People and Colonials from the book All Tomorrows, since the Modular People are made out of numerous separate organisms that move as one
funny thing, the christmas lights on Xurkitree are also the dangly bit of zip-ties, which fits with both the wire theme and the invasive theme since they're commonly used to bundle groups of wires together and end up literally everywhere when you use them because they're tiny and single-use.
I love these three! Object mon tend to get a lot of hate (I don't care about most of them either way) but these ones are suuuuper funky and I love that! The bunch of cables (behold! lol) is my favorite UB :)
Legendary pokemon: a beeing capable of absorbing all the light of the universe, beeing that keep time and space and time stable, a protector of nature made out of multiple beeings. Ultrabeast: *bricks and wirers*
You're definitely my favorite Pokemon RUclipsr. I can tell you work really hard to get all the research and information to make sense of the funny fictional monsters. Keep up the great work!
I like how this set are invasive in their own ways Xirkitree invades power plants, wires stealing our electricity Blacephelon, being partially based on fireworks, invades the sky and your restful sleep (no one can tell me they’ve never been woken up by their neighbors lighting fireworks) Stackataka, as bricks, invades our creativity, with bricks being a monotonous part of urban life, uncreative unless you paint over it (which Stackataka wouldn’t want you doing)
I always am reminded of the Portuguese Man o' war since I first learned Stakataka is a colonial organism. It's one of my two favorite Ultra Beasts along with Kartana. I really like that it's colonial organism nature comes into play in the anime where it's nearly impossible to attack since it virtually has no blind spots.
Xurkitree is based on invasive species because christmas lights are an invasive species wreaking havoc on months and seasons where they're non-native. November is already beyond saving, October has started showing cracks in recent years
Without a doubt, Xurkitree is my favorite Ultra Beast. Back in Gen 7 I was hooked on Random battles & this mon kept appearing on my teams to the point I thought Smogon was bugged. In the end I merely accepted the fact that I made an Ultra Friend & have loved them ever since!
Blacephalon also has a color scheme that reminds me of that parasitic flatworm that takes over snails. You know, the one that pops out of their heads and makes the eyestalks look ballooned out?
Strangling figs are crazy. When I went to Cairns, they were all over the biggest trees. I'd never seen them before but after I looked it up I couldn't believe such a thing even existed.
I always thought the “Christmas lights” on Xurkitree were just stylized and trimmed zip ties? Electricians use them for cable management all the time and cable clusters look a lot like Xurkitree’s limbs
Another sort of space/alien thing for Stakataka, I could see the pillars from 2001: a Space Odyssey could be an inspiration as well, and IIRC it's either in that movie or another movie that has similar things like that that are segmented and actually walk around and have limbs and stuff.
Also, I forgot to ask, how do you explain the similarities between Xurkitree and Guzma? (tall, lanky, with a spiky white top, covered in the color black, etc.) it doesn't fit with the logic you use for Lusamine and Lille. I'd argue you could find similarities with Hala and either Guzzlord or Buzzwole, and IIRC other connections between the Ultra Beasts and Alolan characters have been found as well, it was especially a thing when we first learned about the Ultra Beasts.
Stakataka is such a cool design, especially for an “alien” creature. Something about it also is just so satisfying for me to look at. Ultra Beasts are definitely one of the best things to come from Gen 7
Xurkitree is my absolute fave of the UBs-its so cute and i love it's plug tail, and Celesteela is second place since it's so flexible game-wise and visually cool, but your explanation behind Blacephalon's background and that incredible shiny has it in the running for third
Another possible inspiration for Stakataka I can't believe you missed are the invasive eusocial insects on the Hawaiian islands, specifically Tropical and Little Fire Ants. The eusocial, or "hive mind," trait easily translates to a collective of small creatures working together, and fire ants specifically are well-known for their living architecture projects. Bivouacs as temporary fortresses while digging a new underground colony, living bridges to cross gaps, both horizontally and vertically, and the iconic "rafts," where a massive ball of floating ant bodies (Thanks to their highly hydrophobic exoskeletons) band together to float down a river.
Stakataka's inspiration could also be the Colonials and Modular people from the book All Tomorrows. As much like them they are a collection of multiple individuals working together as a singular being. What also makes them possibly an all tomorrows reference is the flesh colored shiny version.
5:27 And the English dub removes some of them, like Meowth going "muda nya, muda nya, muda nya!" while doing Jojo's poses as a reference to Dio Brando's infamous kiai/stand cry "muda da!".
This video has succinctly described why I loved the addition of Ultra Beasts so much. Yes, some of them are simply objects, but there's more to them if you dig deeper, multiple layers that make up their design. Pokemon like that are much more exciting to me than, say, yet another normal type dog or bird. With the rumoured paradox pokemon in Scarlet/Violet, I'm hoping we continue to see Game Freak push the boundaries of what a Pokemon can be.
A fun thing to point out Blacephalon's shiny is likely a nod to most fun-houses/haunted houses that use blacklights and blacklight paints to allow its unnatural colors pop out better
I can't get over how I figured out that Blacephalon is a dandelion within a month of its reveal, but only a couple days ago realized that Jumpluff is as well. And Jumpluff's way more obvious about it, too! ;-;
7:09 Dandelions are a gardener's enemy. I'm playing Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise right now on Microsoft PC Game Pass and they're characterized as nasty weeds. Course feeding pinatas specific weeds is needed to fulfill certain requirements such as recruiting and evolving and dandelions don't do much besides scare pinatas.
That explanation about xurkitree is one of the most satisfying ever, and makes me wonder how many percent references you've shown is the exact mind of the pokemon designer about Xurkitree...
3:20 He is actually covered in Zip-Ties if you look a little more carefully. Because you know what most people use to keep stray cables together? Zip-Ties
As a farmer i always found it hilarious and sad Dandelions are labeled as weeds when in reality they have terrible leaves to block the sunlight with and usaully keep them close to the ground Also animals love Dandelions over normal grass, and there are many kinds of Dandelions that live all over the world, theyre like bees, a very helpful plant Also i like their fluffy yellow flowers, theyre so pretty
Does that mean that Blacephalon as we know it might not be its true form, and it simply looks like it does in the usual Pokemon reality because we cant comprehend its extreme levels of clownery?
Something that wasn't pointed out is that stakataka actually falls into two alien tropes The mentioned hivemind trop But also the not often used mimic trope, where a alien species will assimilate into a human society to feed by making itself blend in with its surroundings, think Edgar the bug from MIB or the one transformers movie where they all were simple appliances
Not gonna lie, I always thought Blacephalons head looked like a Virus, which given that Viruses could count as invasive species may be also a design inspiration.
another reason Xurkitree and Blacephalon (pretty cool how the put cepha in the mind burst pokemons name) could be invasive is light pollution Blacephalons shiny looks like a fake night sky sort of ordeal.
I love these weirdos and it's so fascinating to hear the explanation for what they could be based on. Such as, I'm aware of other kinds of parasite plants on trees but never heard of the Strangling Fig before. On that I wonder if Blacephon and Xircutree's rivalry might also be in reference to live entertainment versus digital entertainment. Like sure it's a lot of fun for us humans but they both have their cons with the environment. For instance a live show (such as a circus because clown in this case) can't be seen everywhere so when one shows up you suddenly see mass crowds descend on a small space which can wreak havoc on the location due to traffic (ever try to get down the highway when there's a top 3 football game that weekend?), food, space, and noise (there's been studies before on how, say, an outdoor concert affects birds in the area). It's always good for a town's tourism, if they can plan for it, but in the old days you could imagine how a traveling troupe would cause brief chaos on a town before leaving as mysteriously as they came because they just showed up one day and decided to set up at the edge of town or in the square. It's an *old* problem as long as there have been people. On the other hand, at home entertainment is a fairly new problem. And like you said, the demand for at home access to things like electricity came with the need for power plants, towers, cables, etc. A live show may still consume a lot of energy, but if every house has a television and everyone is watching, it's smaller but multiplied could be consuming more energy. And in recent years it's been a huge debate between the need for internet access in every area because of human dependency versus what effect the transmission towers and power sources (such as wind turbines) have on the people and wildlife in the area. And the fact these two compete with fireworks versus a light show still shows this off nicely.
I have a cool video idea!! There have been a couple pokemon now that are from "different regions" than the one they were introduced in. You should do an origin video, taking apart their inspiration and where you think they might be from! What do you think Lockstin?
Considering that none, but Guzzlord are actively destroying their Environment in the Ultraspaces we find them in, got me thinking. What if they just go after their Natural ways which they know from their Homeworld? Maybe Guzzlord hail from an Dimension in which they live in harmony with whatever else by feasting on their Leftovers and Waste Products.
Somehow I can imagine a scenario like the radio play broadcast of war of the worlds happening. But about xurkitree. Only to have the champion of Alola roll up with one of their own just like "oh yeah this spark spark, I feed him beans"
You know what I find interesting? Bacephelon seems more idk chill than the other Ultra beasts. Like he is just there putting on light shows minding his own business
Great video, I was watching it while playing PLA DLC and I think I might know who Melli is related to. He is related to Swordbert and Shieldbert. I noted that he does the same eyes go white that the brothers do in Sword and Shield
It'd be great to have a pokemon inspired by a colony animal, that has an ability that makes its def/spdef go down as its health goes down. Gradually. Like, it has 200 def/spdef, normal amount of hp but, for example, if it has 10% of hp, it actually has 20 def
I love hearing all the theories on designs. Here’s one, though: their Typing recreates a new material. Almost creating a new Typing. Think about it: instead of making a Glass type, they made Nihilego Rock/Poison. A damaging material that shatters. They do the same for Glue. Aluminum. Wire. Paper. Brick. Plasma. etc.
4:57 Piedmon is a court jester, not a clown. Some versions of The Joker also take on the jester motif instead of clown. Court jesters made fun of people for the sake of royalty, clowns entertain the masses. They are not the same.
stakataka reminds me a lot of army ants, since they build temporary structures by linking their bodies together. i couldn’t find any invasive species of army ants, but ants in general have a lot of invasive species, so it kinda works? i just thought that was interesting
The way it is shaped, Stakatakka always reminded me of a castle tower or some kind of medieval watchtower, and well, invasive species, invasions, castles, there is a connection there.
i thought the depiction of Blacephalon in the anime was interesting considering the Dandelion connection. sure, it was "invading" but once it saw that there were people to entertain in the world it arrived in it just stuck around entertaining the people
![State of Play | September 24, 2024 [ENGLISH]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fVs0suPHAX8/mqdefault.jpg)
I love the idea that Stakataka is just like, an office building made of its own workers
This building has workers in it
Like army ants
Imagine an ant colony pokemon
I feel like I've read a horror story about that somewhere.
I could design a World of Darkness Faerie out of this concept. It's wonderfully disturbing~
I suppose Blacephalon could also hint on the light pollution, as the artificial lights long became sorta "invasive".
I think Xurkitree would fit better for that in particular
@@4thstateofmatter662 the rivalry continues
Or due to producing fireworks It could be maybe a hint to particulate dust pollution
@@4thstateofmatter662 ...Fun-Fact: If the Video-Essay doesnt have to be about Pokemon, "Some More News" will be there for you, being just like Gnoggin.
Honestly I hope we get more ultra beasts as they are the most unique thing in Pokémon, well in my opinion they are.
Dark n' Windie made some cool ones you should check them out!
I agree, the designs are wild and it seams like the artists can have some real fun with them.
Same, I remember when everyone would compare them to digimon, like any new design. Yet they are beloved by many.
Unfortunate that Gamefreak absolutely loves abandoning good ideas after one generation.
@@MandalorianRaider regional variants weren’t just in one generation, so ultra beasts could come back in the future
The original set of UBs are all based on planets in our solar system, and the gods they get their name from. Xurkitree is Jupiter/Zeus, and one of his major symbols is the oak tree. A lot of old European cultures associate oaks with lightning because they're the biggest trees in the area so act like a lightning-magnet.
In the burned scars of a big oak after lightning strikes, parasitic mistletoe often grows. Mistletoe was seen as a blessing, a literal gift from the gods. This is why mistletoe is a Christmas thing and all this is the reason why Xurkitree looks like a Christmas tree with a star on top.
Thanks for sharing!
I'd like to know the others. Care to continue explaining?
I heard the original set was based on the seven deadly sins
@@d4-v1d22 both seem to work
@@thatwaffleguy4958 yea okay, here's the breakdown.
The Pokedex order of the UBs are all, almost, in the exact same order of the planets starting from the sun then going out. The only weird thing is that Buzzwole/Pheremosa and Kartana/Celesteela are reversed. I think this is because these 2 pairs are version counterparts, and they're doing a sort of ying-yang thing.
Nihilego has the most detail and evidence for it. It is based on the god, planet, element and alchemical substance mercury. Hermes/Mercury literally has a flying brimmed hat in addition to the winged sandals and is 'god of boundaries' like how Nihilego is the fist UB to cross over to our world. it's also a play on the phrase 'mad as a hatter' because hat manufacturers used to use mercury which drove people insane. That's why Nihilego is a neurologic parasite, it's mercury poisoning. mercury is feminine in alchemy hence Nihilego mimics a little girl and the symbol for mercury is just the female symbol with a little hat on it
Pheremosa is Venus duh
Buzzwole is Mars duh. Also the Mars "male" planetary symbol is Mars's spear, which is probably referenced by the mosquito nose
Xurkitree is Jupiter/Zeus, duh.
Kartana is based on Saturn the god of harvest, whose symbol is the scythe
Celesteela is based on some moon legend thing but it's also filling the role of Uranus the god of the sky and horizon, hence it being a rocket
And lastly Guzzlord has honestly always been a large hole in this theory, but I think that's just because I don't know enough about it. Presumably, it SHOULD be Neptune, but aside from the trident-looking head on top idk how it relates. It seems to be based on a black hole more than anything but there's probably just something about Neptune/Poseidon I don't know about.
Actually there's a lot I don't know, I really only analyzed these on the surface level. But dang man, it all seems like a bit much to just be coincidence.
Ultra Beasts tend to cross between organic and inorganic materials that would function as otherworldly beings, similar to SCPs or Trevor Henderson's Monsters.
Lockstin's friend and Poketuber Birdkeeper Toby actually did an Ultra Beasts as SCPs thing for some Halloween videos if you're interested in seeing them.
except the bugs
@@lordofninjas1 I saw the videos, they were awesome, hope they could continue for other Ultra Beasts not covered.
@@caroalcala3741 same. I think it's an interesting idea and I would love to see more.
The trailers for ultra beasts literally look like SCP videos too lmao (actual official trailers)
I feel like stackaka was more based on insects invading a home. It looks like a ruin so overrun with unown that it came to life with the arms of Arceus and sprouted legs to walk away
Neat idea, but I don't know about that.
Always thought it was funny when you used that one friendship mechanic in USUM on stakataka, it would go idle and look you were literally talking to a brick wall.
Also, regarding dandelions, they are actually edible and can be used for salad.
And dandelions are pretty tatsy
You can make them into tea and wine too, right? Thats what ive heard
Rabbits also tend to love them! :)
@@mitkitty I've heard dandelion wine is delicious. I think the flower itself is fermented to make it.
@@mitkitty I know now what to try out
After you said ultra beasts are based on invasive things I thought Stakataka was a going to be a reference to gentrification or colonizers or something of the sort since it's in the Hawaii of Pokemon. It reads as new buildings being forcibly added and built so sturdy they don't leave, while said buildings also bring dozens of unwelcome 'tourists'.
I never knew this generation, so I assumed there’d be a white person pokemon
@@jacobbaca9213 I mean, any human would work. Humans are THE invasive species on any continent other than Africa.
thank you for explaining the most bizarre Pokémon in the games and their lore too, like I really needed this.
Xurkitree's “Christmas lights” are actually zip ties like what are used to bundle networking cables.
I really hope they revisit the Ultra Beast idea in the future, if only to make MissingNo into one. It would be a really neat way to incorporate that piece of history into the game officially, and could still fit the UB themes on the standpoint of glitches being invasive to your game and corrupting the world.
ABSOLUTELY YES
I love how Scarlet and Violet also deal with this concept of invasive species. All of the trailers are focused on being nature documentaries and wildlife expeditions. And all of the paradox pokemon are invasive species, they bring up how if they were to all escape, they would destroy the natural environment of Paldea
Honestly, Blacephalon is my favorite of the Ultra Beast. When I saw the video about it being connected to Pennywise it easily became one of my top 10. But I'm also a big Steven King fan and have been since 5th grade. ^^;
DERRY, MAINE!
@@Guru_1092 And I never want to be buried in a Pet Sematary either.
I love it as well (as if my pfp wasn't obvious) and learning about the clown nebula possible inspiration makes me love it even more
I honestly also think that stakataka is kind of a reverse of unown as well - both have singular eyes per little guy, only unown stick while stakataka are literally the bricks that stack on each other.
5:44 Some months ago, no one would believe a minor Ace Attorney character like Geiru would go viral like that, to the point of appearing at a Ultra Beast video.
Ultra Beasts are such fascinating Pokemon. There are interpretations of them aligning to Deadly Sins or the planets, but I wish we could get more, even with their esoteric stats distribution.
As soon as Lockstin said siphonophore I instantly thought of Octonauts and was pleased to actually know what crazy animal he was talking about
I haven't watched that in sooooo long.
OH EM GEE- A FELLOW OCTONAUTS WATCHER!
By the way Stakataka could be based off a fire ant colony. If you have ever seen them in a flood, they group up in balls and roll over themselves as to breath
A star walks into a black hole but doesn't seen phased. The black hole then turns to the star and says, "I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation."
Then the star uses Dazzling Gleam and the black hole dies.
Blacephalon is based on a Clowns, Fireworks,Flowers,Dullahan (throws it's pumpkin head full of hellfire creating a massive explosion which explains Mind Blown) and a Nukekubi(the version that can remove their own head).
Stakataka is made up of 137 Bricks and it's based a Yokai called a Mokumokuren.
In the anime, it is seen moonwalking like Michael Jackson.
Do what you will with that Info
Stakakaka is a werid Ultra Beast but I love how it's a defensive tank in battle.
Staka... KAKA?! I'll have you know, that last bit means poo in Spanish, lmao! ...though... not sure if it's actually spelled like that in Spanish. . .
I immediately love the "BEHOLD, A MAN" reference with the cables at the beginning
maybe stakataka is based on a creature of the sci-fi eciclopedic book "All Tumorrows", the creature (i don't remember is name at the moment) is made off varius sentient flesh bricks with eyes, mouth an hears all over their surface that moves in the form of gigantic hive mind buildings (they were human colonist that tried to fight against a race of crazy bio ingenier named "Qu")
If I remember correctly, the creatures you’re referring to are called Colonials
@@CuteLilEldritch1010 yes, you're right
I thought those were representative of zip ties since we keep cords together with them. Also, I’m surprised you didn’t bring up Kudzu as well - an invasive vine/weed that was brought in for decoration and now we see it everywhere strangling trees and other plants.
...If the Video-Essay doesnt have to be about Pokemon, "Some More News" will be there for you, being just like Gnoggin.
Blasepholon could also be a reference to “The Colors Out of Space” by HP Lovecraft. The mysterious colors come from space in a meteor then explode on impact and spreads throughout the land nearby. It poisons the terrain making anything that consumes insane.
When you mentioned Blacephalon's origin as an ancient horror, I was pleased to see Emrakaul there, very apt! :D
I saw brisela voice of nightmares right before emrakrul
@@superteo5744 Aye but they're mutated horrors, Emrakaul's a real ancient god monster
Either ulamog or kozileks spawn is there too
I would argue that blacephelon would also draw inspiration from fireworks, and the impact they have on the environment.
Stakkatakka always reminds me of the Modular People and Colonials from the book All Tomorrows, since the Modular People are made out of numerous separate organisms that move as one
Same the shiny is even flesh tone. It would be interesting if All Tomorrows was Stakataka's inspiration.
funny thing, the christmas lights on Xurkitree are also the dangly bit of zip-ties, which fits with both the wire theme and the invasive theme since they're commonly used to bundle groups of wires together and end up literally everywhere when you use them because they're tiny and single-use.
Fun-Fact: If the Video-Essay doesnt have to be about Pokemon, "Some More News" will be there for you, being just like Gnoggin.
I like how humans opened the rift to let Ultra Beasts come to earth, but WE call them invasive
I mean humans are the ones that brought invasive species to Hawaii. The species are still invasive.
My “human” trainer in Moon wants to be fused someday (he isn’t actually human).
I think Stakataka is also based on the Colonials from After Man. The Colonials are human bricks with eyes, just like Stakataka.
All tomorrows, not Man after Man. But yeah I had the similar idea.
@barrybend7189 oops, my bad. I'm surprised the Colonials didn't mentioned. I would think they would be somewhere.
Xurkitree might also have references to sea urchins as well, which are a very invasive species.
We even already have an electric urchin pokémon to go off of.
Like, come on!
"How are bricks and cables Pokemon?"
The same way sand castles and garbage bags are, I'm guessing.
You know this video and the Dalek reference in TerminalMontages video has suddenly made me like Stakataka a lot more than I thought I ever would.
I love these three! Object mon tend to get a lot of hate (I don't care about most of them either way) but these ones are suuuuper funky and I love that!
The bunch of cables (behold! lol) is my favorite UB :)
Legendary pokemon: a beeing capable of absorbing all the light of the universe, beeing that keep time and space and time stable, a protector of nature made out of multiple beeings.
Ultrabeast: *bricks and wirers*
You're definitely my favorite Pokemon RUclipsr. I can tell you work really hard to get all the research and information to make sense of the funny fictional monsters. Keep up the great work!
Xurkitree is my Favorite Ultra Beast
Blacephalon is my fave ultra beast 🎈🎇
Same
Same!
My fave is guzzlord
I like how this set are invasive in their own ways
Xirkitree invades power plants, wires stealing our electricity
Blacephelon, being partially based on fireworks, invades the sky and your restful sleep (no one can tell me they’ve never been woken up by their neighbors lighting fireworks)
Stackataka, as bricks, invades our creativity, with bricks being a monotonous part of urban life, uncreative unless you paint over it (which Stackataka wouldn’t want you doing)
I always am reminded of the Portuguese Man o' war since I first learned Stakataka is a colonial organism. It's one of my two favorite Ultra Beasts along with Kartana. I really like that it's colonial organism nature comes into play in the anime where it's nearly impossible to attack since it virtually has no blind spots.
Xurkitree is based on invasive species because christmas lights are an invasive species wreaking havoc on months and seasons where they're non-native. November is already beyond saving, October has started showing cracks in recent years
It’s funny you mention it cuz Xurkitree and Stakataka are my favorite Pokémon of all time.
Without a doubt, Xurkitree is my favorite Ultra Beast. Back in Gen 7 I was hooked on Random battles & this mon kept appearing on my teams to the point I thought Smogon was bugged. In the end I merely accepted the fact that I made an Ultra Friend & have loved them ever since!
Blacephalon also has a color scheme that reminds me of that parasitic flatworm that takes over snails. You know, the one that pops out of their heads and makes the eyestalks look ballooned out?
ultra beasts have always confused me, but this and the battle royale have really helped!! thanks :>
I’ve been binge watching your stuff while playing the Pokémon Splatfest, thank you very much for your hard work! ^^
Those are not lights on Xurkitree's body, they are zipties keeping the cables together
Can I just say I loved that opening bit?
"Behold... a Pokemon."
Strangling figs are crazy. When I went to Cairns, they were all over the biggest trees. I'd never seen them before but after I looked it up I couldn't believe such a thing even existed.
I always thought the “Christmas lights” on Xurkitree were just stylized and trimmed zip ties? Electricians use them for cable management all the time and cable clusters look a lot like Xurkitree’s limbs
Another sort of space/alien thing for Stakataka, I could see the pillars from 2001: a Space Odyssey could be an inspiration as well, and IIRC it's either in that movie or another movie that has similar things like that that are segmented and actually walk around and have limbs and stuff.
Also, I forgot to ask, how do you explain the similarities between Xurkitree and Guzma? (tall, lanky, with a spiky white top, covered in the color black, etc.) it doesn't fit with the logic you use for Lusamine and Lille. I'd argue you could find similarities with Hala and either Guzzlord or Buzzwole, and IIRC other connections between the Ultra Beasts and Alolan characters have been found as well, it was especially a thing when we first learned about the Ultra Beasts.
Love how the example pictures for eldritch abominations went straight for the Eldrazi from MtG - with Brisela taking centre stage!
Stakataka is such a cool design, especially for an “alien” creature. Something about it also is just so satisfying for me to look at. Ultra Beasts are definitely one of the best things to come from Gen 7
Xurkitree is my absolute fave of the UBs-its so cute and i love it's plug tail, and Celesteela is second place since it's so flexible game-wise and visually cool, but your explanation behind Blacephalon's background and that incredible shiny has it in the running for third
Stakataka reminds me of the Colonials from All Tomorrows.
Another possible inspiration for Stakataka I can't believe you missed are the invasive eusocial insects on the Hawaiian islands, specifically Tropical and Little Fire Ants. The eusocial, or "hive mind," trait easily translates to a collective of small creatures working together, and fire ants specifically are well-known for their living architecture projects. Bivouacs as temporary fortresses while digging a new underground colony, living bridges to cross gaps, both horizontally and vertically, and the iconic "rafts," where a massive ball of floating ant bodies (Thanks to their highly hydrophobic exoskeletons) band together to float down a river.
Fun-Fact: If the Video-Essay doesnt have to be about Pokemon, "Some More News" will be there for you, being just like Gnoggin.
Stakataka's inspiration could also be the Colonials and Modular people from the book All Tomorrows. As much like them they are a collection of multiple individuals working together as a singular being. What also makes them possibly an all tomorrows reference is the flesh colored shiny version.
5:27 And the English dub removes some of them, like Meowth going "muda nya, muda nya, muda nya!" while doing Jojo's poses as a reference to Dio Brando's infamous kiai/stand cry "muda da!".
3:46 and 8:12 “Behold, a Pokémon.”
Lockstin and Gnoggin 2022-
This video has succinctly described why I loved the addition of Ultra Beasts so much. Yes, some of them are simply objects, but there's more to them if you dig deeper, multiple layers that make up their design. Pokemon like that are much more exciting to me than, say, yet another normal type dog or bird. With the rumoured paradox pokemon in Scarlet/Violet, I'm hoping we continue to see Game Freak push the boundaries of what a Pokemon can be.
A fun thing to point out
Blacephalon's shiny is likely a nod to most fun-houses/haunted houses that use blacklights and blacklight paints to allow its unnatural colors pop out better
Honestly my first thought for Stakataka was that people literally invade and build big-arse castles everywhere
I can't get over how I figured out that Blacephalon is a dandelion within a month of its reveal, but only a couple days ago realized that Jumpluff is as well. And Jumpluff's way more obvious about it, too! ;-;
I always sort of saw Jumpluff more as cotton than dandelion, but that works as well.
4:49
Omg, that’s my footage!! That’s so cool, thank you for using it!! ^.^
7:09 Dandelions are a gardener's enemy. I'm playing Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise right now on Microsoft PC Game Pass and they're characterized as nasty weeds. Course feeding pinatas specific weeds is needed to fulfill certain requirements such as recruiting and evolving and dandelions don't do much besides scare pinatas.
idk why but listening to that little glitch transition with headphones (like at 2:14) makes my teeth itch
That explanation about xurkitree is one of the most satisfying ever, and makes me wonder how many percent references you've shown is the exact mind of the pokemon designer about Xurkitree...
"me and my homies hate lawns!" absolutely based
3:20 He is actually covered in Zip-Ties if you look a little more carefully. Because you know what most people use to keep stray cables together? Zip-Ties
As a farmer i always found it hilarious and sad Dandelions are labeled as weeds when in reality they have terrible leaves to block the sunlight with and usaully keep them close to the ground
Also animals love Dandelions over normal grass, and there are many kinds of Dandelions that live all over the world, theyre like bees, a very helpful plant
Also i like their fluffy yellow flowers, theyre so pretty
Blacephalon invasive species was probably some 2016 Scary Clown invasion refrence lmao.
Does that mean that Blacephalon as we know it might not be its true form, and it simply looks like it does in the usual Pokemon reality because we cant comprehend its extreme levels of clownery?
Kartana and Buzzwole are my favorite 😂 their designs are hilarious.
Something that wasn't pointed out is that stakataka actually falls into two alien tropes
The mentioned hivemind trop
But also the not often used mimic trope, where a alien species will assimilate into a human society to feed by making itself blend in with its surroundings, think Edgar the bug from MIB or the one transformers movie where they all were simple appliances
Not gonna lie, I always thought Blacephalons head looked like a Virus, which given that Viruses could count as invasive species may be also a design inspiration.
Blacephalon is Fire/Ghost
Stakataka could also be a reference to all tomorrow's Colonials and Their more evolved modular people forms.
For Stakataka I was thinking invading Kingdoms, since it looks similar to a Castle tower
another reason Xurkitree and Blacephalon (pretty cool how the put cepha in the mind burst pokemons name) could be invasive is light pollution Blacephalons shiny looks like a fake night sky sort of ordeal.
I love these weirdos and it's so fascinating to hear the explanation for what they could be based on. Such as, I'm aware of other kinds of parasite plants on trees but never heard of the Strangling Fig before.
On that I wonder if Blacephon and Xircutree's rivalry might also be in reference to live entertainment versus digital entertainment. Like sure it's a lot of fun for us humans but they both have their cons with the environment. For instance a live show (such as a circus because clown in this case) can't be seen everywhere so when one shows up you suddenly see mass crowds descend on a small space which can wreak havoc on the location due to traffic (ever try to get down the highway when there's a top 3 football game that weekend?), food, space, and noise (there's been studies before on how, say, an outdoor concert affects birds in the area). It's always good for a town's tourism, if they can plan for it, but in the old days you could imagine how a traveling troupe would cause brief chaos on a town before leaving as mysteriously as they came because they just showed up one day and decided to set up at the edge of town or in the square. It's an *old* problem as long as there have been people.
On the other hand, at home entertainment is a fairly new problem. And like you said, the demand for at home access to things like electricity came with the need for power plants, towers, cables, etc. A live show may still consume a lot of energy, but if every house has a television and everyone is watching, it's smaller but multiplied could be consuming more energy. And in recent years it's been a huge debate between the need for internet access in every area because of human dependency versus what effect the transmission towers and power sources (such as wind turbines) have on the people and wildlife in the area.
And the fact these two compete with fireworks versus a light show still shows this off nicely.
I have a cool video idea!! There have been a couple pokemon now that are from "different regions" than the one they were introduced in. You should do an origin video, taking apart their inspiration and where you think they might be from! What do you think Lockstin?
Considering that none, but Guzzlord are actively destroying their Environment in the Ultraspaces we find them in, got me thinking.
What if they just go after their Natural ways which they know from their Homeworld? Maybe Guzzlord hail from an Dimension in which they live in harmony with whatever else by feasting on their Leftovers and Waste Products.
Somehow I can imagine a scenario like the radio play broadcast of war of the worlds happening. But about xurkitree.
Only to have the champion of Alola roll up with one of their own just like "oh yeah this spark spark, I feed him beans"
Stakataka reminds me of the BOTW guardian
You know what I find interesting? Bacephelon seems more idk chill than the other Ultra beasts. Like he is just there putting on light shows minding his own business
He is the least dangerous ultra beast if we ignore poipul and naganadel so there might be something to that
Great video, I was watching it while playing PLA DLC and I think I might know who Melli is related to. He is related to Swordbert and Shieldbert. I noted that he does the same eyes go white that the brothers do in Sword and Shield
Blacephalon is one of my absolute favorites. I love learning new things about it!
I always though zerkatree’s white things on it’s body were zip ties to hold the wires together
I always thought that xurkitree's "head" was one of those plants that can grow on cables, the Tillandsia genus
I wonder if Colonials from All Tomorrows had any inspiration to Stakataka's design.
11:17 the only terraforming related moves Stakataka learns are Stealth Rock and Steel Roller
and I guess Trick Room, too
I always thought that the ‘Christmas lights’ on xurkitree were zip ties
Blacephalon reminds me of the lucky straight Yugioh card, it makes more sense if you watched the Yugioh zexal tv show
It'd be great to have a pokemon inspired by a colony animal, that has an ability that makes its def/spdef go down as its health goes down. Gradually. Like, it has 200 def/spdef, normal amount of hp but, for example, if it has 10% of hp, it actually has 20 def
Watching this while shiny hunting for Guzzlord, wish me luck!
Goodluck catching Bane
Good luck catching need to feed
I love hearing all the theories on designs. Here’s one, though: their Typing recreates a new material. Almost creating a new Typing.
Think about it: instead of making a Glass type, they made Nihilego Rock/Poison. A damaging material that shatters.
They do the same for Glue. Aluminum. Wire. Paper. Brick. Plasma. etc.
4:57 Piedmon is a court jester, not a clown. Some versions of The Joker also take on the jester motif instead of clown.
Court jesters made fun of people for the sake of royalty, clowns entertain the masses. They are not the same.
Honestly, if Magic: the Gathering brings in a new Eldrazi themed around exploding clowns, I'd be on board.
stakataka reminds me a lot of army ants, since they build temporary structures by linking their bodies together. i couldn’t find any invasive species of army ants, but ants in general have a lot of invasive species, so it kinda works? i just thought that was interesting
The way it is shaped, Stakatakka always reminded me of a castle tower or some kind of medieval watchtower, and well, invasive species, invasions, castles, there is a connection there.
i thought the depiction of Blacephalon in the anime was interesting considering the Dandelion connection. sure, it was "invading" but once it saw that there were people to entertain in the world it arrived in it just stuck around entertaining the people
You should do a video explaining the signature moves of pokemon