If you asked someone to name the most tragic Pokemon, they'd 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:probably say Cubone. The little pup wears the skull of its dead mother in order to remain close to it, and has been immortalised by this arc being explored in both a classic anime episode and the games themselves. Most Gen 1 Pokemon are iconic purely by virtue of being first, but Cubone is a standout character amongst the early monsters thanks to how involved it is in what remains one of Pokemon's strongest elements of world-building. Subsequent Pokemon haven't measured up, but there is one who may rival the tragedy at Cubone's heart.
The problem with a lot of Pokemon trying to be Cubone is that the game around them fails to commit. For example, Banette is supposed to be the ghost of an abandoned Substitute doll. However, it evolves from Shuppet which does not share this origin - Shuppet instead is said to absorb negative human energy, as well as suffering the tragic fate of looking like a buttplug. Banette's abandoned doll story could have a lot of heart to it, and the anime does build an episode around it. But this is never mentioned in the games and thus feels inconsequential.
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While the Shuppet paradox adds a layer of confusion, Cubone doesn't make much sense either - what, all Cubones are orphans? And Marowak, the evolved (adult?) Cubone retains the skull, but also unfailingly abandons its young? Headcanons have tried the 'Cubone is a baby Kangaskhan' route, but the fact is it doesn't matter. The game made us feel something, and so any factual or logical errors are overlooked. Other versions of this tale don't do enough to earn that benefit. And Minior, one of Pokemon's most tragic tales, isn't talked about at all.
Minior was introduced in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sun & Moon but has been absent ever since, skipping 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sword & Shield, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Legends: Arceus, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Scarlet & Violet. It does have a fleeting appearance in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:New Pokemon Snap, but mostly it has been drastically overlooked. Minior is not particularly useful in battle, and while it comes in different variants, these are just colour swaps and only exist in its second form🌃, not the first form it is more ꦆcommonly seen sporting. It just appears to be a dull little rock, and we already have a load of those in Pokemon.
But Minior's story is a Sisyphean struggle that the games could have explored more. Pokemon stories don't always have to be about how Pokemon are our friends and about how using them for personal gain is wrong (while simultaneously using them for personal gain yourself). They can explore concepts of nature, destiny, and tragedy, all of which Minior is wrapped up in.
Minior is a meteor that fell to Earth, except it's not so simple. Minior is not so much a meteor as it is a star trapped in rock. Over the course of its life, it picks up particles from the atmosphere, until these become too heavy and cause it to sink to the ground, trapped. It is dragged away from its family, from its freedom, by the debris that swirls around it. Once it crash lands and is able to escape, it finds it cannot survive on our planet, and cannot return home fast enough. Thus, its prison becomes its saviour, and in order to live it must return to it time and time again, willingly trapping itself in exchange for freedom.
It's less straight-forward than the 'dead mom' angle of Cubone, and Minior is less cute too - especially in its Meteor Form. But its Core Form should help make up for that, and unlike Cubone and all the copycats since, Minior's tragedy makes sense. It fits into the Pokemon ecosystem, and defines the entire existence of Minior, rather than fitting one specific Cubone (or Banette) story that every other one in existence seems to fit into. Many of the more recent Pokemon have been ignored if they're not a starter or manage to become a meme, but Minior deserves a lot more love.
Pokemon has a long history of playing it safe, and though I would argue that has held the games back from being great, The Pokemon Company itself can easily point to sales and remind us that safe is, if nothing else, very popular. But Minior has more creativity, more narrative bite, and feels like it's risking daring to say something - even if this is a whisper never to be heard of again.
I've gained a newfound appreciation for Minior recently, and while I realise it will never dislodge Cubone in the Pokemon canon, it has a fascinating story grounded in reality worth paying attention to. Godspeed, Minior. I hope you make it home someday.