#123, #212: Scyther & Scizor

Scyther in all its glory.

Oh man, these Pokémon.

Remember when Scyther was awesome back in the day? Yeah, it was one of the better-designed and most popular Pokémon, but it has lost its appeal a little over the last fifteen years or so. Even in the time of Red, Blue and Yellow Scyther wasn't all that, just because it didn't learn any STAB bug- or flying-type moves other than the weak Wing Attack, which was still a whopping 35 power back then... and that was only in Pokémon Yellow. Sure, critical hits were based on speed and Scyther was one of the fastest Pokémon the game, so you could just spam Slash. Crits galore! Fortunately, Game Freak have only improved Scyther since then, giving it the awesome Technician ability (which increases the strength of moves with 60 power or less by 50%) and some moves that can benefit from it, such as Bug Bite and Aerial Ace. In the second generation, Scyther even got an amazing evolution named Scizor. The problem is that Scizor is superior to Scyther in every aspect except speed: Scizor becomes much slower in exchange for a little more bulk, a better attack stat and the ever-so-useful steel type. It even retains Technician, and from X and Y onward it even has been able to Mega-evolve.

Fan art of Scyther and Scizor. This image suggests that they are
equals, as they have roughly the same height and take the same
stance. 

Both Scyther and Scizor have a base stat total of 500, which is highly unusual in an evolution line; Pokémon typically get stronger when evolution triggers, but apparently this doesn't seem to apply to Scyther and Scizor. In fact, Scyther is the only pre-evolutionary form that has the same base stat total as its evolution. It does evolve by having it hold a Metal Coat and trade it away, but this is hardly the reason why Scyther and Scizor's base stat total is exactly the same; even Steelix's is much higher than Onix's (just like Scizor, though, it has lost some of its speed). My theory is that Scyther had good stats for a basic Pokémon already and that it didn't particularly need to become stronger; Scizor would have been way too overpowered - close to legendary status - if it had kept Scyther's excellent speed stat upon evolution. Great attack, great speed and decent bulk? Nigh impossible to take down, I'd say. Instead, you should see Scizor as an alternative to Scyther: the former has the all-important steel typing (this makes Scizor 4x weak to fire, but it's its only weakness) and is stronger and bulkier, while the latter has a STAB Technician-boosted Aerial Ace or Wing Attack and can make use of the Eviolite. By the way, I am not even counting the fact that I think Scizor is much more awesome than Scyther. When I was a kid, Scyther was one of my favorite Pokémon, but this shifted to Lugia and Scizor instead, and that hasn't changed much over the years.

Fan art of Scizor showing off its badassery.

Why, let's take a look at their Pokédex entries, shall we? Scyther is obviously based on the praying mantis and the mantidfly, and while the blades of mantises aren't that sharp, Scyther's are: they are able to slice through logs and become even sharper when used to cut through hard materials. With ninja-like agility and speed, it can create the illusion that there is more than one of them or become too fast for the human eye to track. And how about Scizor? Well, despite its name and its Gen. II classification as the 'Scissors Pokémon', which Game Freak corrected in Gen. III, its claws are more like pincers instead of scissors. Scizor can't rely on its dismal speed, so it uses its eye-patterned pincers instead to swing them and create the illusion that it has three heads. The pincers can crush any hard object to bits (even concrete when Scizor gets a chance to Mega-evolve). And while Scyther barely uses its wings to fly, Scizor is completely incapable of flight. It uses its wings to adjust its body temperature instead, because apparently its steel body can't handle its own hotness, ha ha ha.

Anyway.

Watch out, because Scizor is coming at you!

Competitively, Scizor is a pretty straightforward Pokémon: it is supposed to hit anything with tremendous strength, especially since it has a Mega. And as Scizor isn't very fast to begin with, you might want to max out its massive attack stat by running one with an Adamant nature, while an Impish nature focuses more on Scizor's defensive side. An ideal moveset might consist of Swords Dance, Bullet Punch (STAB and boosted by Technician), Bug Bite (ditto) and Roost for healing purposes. U-Turn can be used to gain momentum, as switching out after doing some damage is better than hard-switching, while Defog removes entry hazards and Knock Off can knock off the foe's item. This move isn't uncommon in competitive play lately, as it has been upgraded from 20 to 65 power since the days of X and Y. It is also capable of learning some fine coverage moves like Night Slash, X-Scissor, Iron Head, Brick Break, Superpower and Acrobatics (has a base power of 55, but this doubles when the user isn't holding an item). Want some Technician-boosted moves instead? Well, how about Aerial Ace? 60 power, never misses. Or Fury Cutter, a rather unreliable move with a base power of 40 that doubles every time it is used, which renders Technician useless most of the time. Metal Claw (50 power), Pursuit (which has 40 power and doubles when the opponent switches out on the turn you use it, in which case Technician doesn't trigger), Double Hit (hits twice for 35 power a pop, and with Technician it hits harder than Return) and Thief (60 power) are moves to consider as well. Don't like Mega Scizor? You can give regular Scizor a Life Orb or a Choice Band and still be good.

I don't know whether this is an action figurine or 3D art of Mega Scizor (the official
art is embedded in the original image for comparison), but it looks awesome! :D

I'd still recommend the first moveset I first mentioned, though, even for Scyther (except Bullet Punch; Scyther doesn't learn it and it should be replaced by Aerial Ace instead). However, a Jolly nature is very common on Scyther, especially combined with a Choice Scarf. It greatly benefits from the Eviolite as well, buffing up its defenses a little while still hitting like a truck. But Scizor's awesomeness can't be denied and that is exactly why I recommend it over Scyther. No, honestly, I fell in love with this thing when Gold and Silver came out and my love for it has only intensified when I saw its Mega form, and that's why it easily gets a perfect rating from me. Go, Scizor!

Rating: 5/5

#439, #122: Mime Jr. & Mr. Mime

James from Team Rocket had a Mime Jr. from seasons 9 to 13. It
is probably using the move Attract in this image or something; I
don't even care. 

Oh my God, I hate clowns. And mimes. They're so fucking creepy.

And they just had to make Pokémon based off of them. Another goddamn baby Pokémon at that, too; like, you have got to be shitting me. As if Mr. Mime actually needed a pre-evolution. Just like any other baby Pokémon (barring Pichu, who can learn Volt Tackle trough breeding, and Togepi and Riolu, whom I consider basic forms rather than baby forms and who were introduced alongside their evolutions Togetic and Lucario in their respective generations), Mime Jr. serves absolutely no purpose other than being a Pokédex filler. Don't get me wrong; I actually like most baby Pokémon design-wise, but they're such pointless additions to the games from Ruby and Sapphire onwards. Breeding was introduced in Gold and Silver and I can live with the likes of Magby and Pichu and such, but baby Pokémon became redundant after that and Game Freak should have just focused on completely new, independent Pokémon not related to Pokémon that already existed and not on the latter's younger and weaker forms. Mime Jr. is one of those redundant babies, and it isn't even a good one in my opinion, because it just looks silly.

Papercraft Mime Jr. and Mr. Mime. NOW GO ON AND TELL ME
THAT MR. MIME ISN'T CREEPY, GODDAMMIT! 

But what is up with this mimicry thing of baby Pokémon in Gen. IV? I noticed that they always try to mimic one thing or another, whether it be their evolution (Happiny), other people or Pokémon (Mime Jr.) or even inanimate objects (Bonsly, whom I will write about when it's Sudowoodo's turn to show up here). Mime Jr. is doing nothing but clowning around, mimicking other people's expressions and motions to understand their feelings or imitating foes in order to create distractions and escape once they are confused. That is so typically a mime thing to do, and that is exactly why I hate those people. And I should prepare to get annoyed some more right now, because I am going on to Mr. Mime; and Mr. Mime (who actually has a 50/50 gender ratio despite its name) is a lot worse than its pre-evolution. Being an excellent pantomime, this Pokémon can solidify air molecules by vibrating its fingertips, creating actual invisible barriers. Don't disturb its act though, because it will slap you to hell and back when you do.

SEE? I KNEW MIMES WERE SECRETLY VIOLENT MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

Yes. Yes, this is exactly how I see Mr. Mime:
creepy as fuck.

All jokes aside, I'll acknowledge Mr. Mime's utility as a competitive battler. Although the psychic type has lost its appeal a little since the type got nerfed in Gold and Silver, Mr. Mime received a very useful typing in X and Y: fairy (don't ask me why this clown is a fairy type; I don't know and I honestly don't care, either). Unfortunately, its HP and defense aren't all that, but it makes that up with some decent speed and excellent special attack and special defense stats. Besides, it can reduce super-effective damage by ¼ with the Filter ability or it can prevent sound-based moves from having effect on it with the Soundproof ability. Furthermore, Mr. Mime has access to an ability called Technician, with which it can increase moves with a base power of 60 or less by 1.5. In Mr. Mime's case, this could potentially be applied to Confusion, Icy Wind, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Confusion and Hidden Power, but it is generally better to run another moveset combined with one of the first two abilities I mentioned. Thunderbolt, Future Sight, Signal Beam, Shadow Ball, Psyshock, Energy Ball, Focus Blast, Dazzling Gleam and Psychic are viable options, but usually the last three moves are used. Occasionally, a status move like Nasty Plot (increases Mr. Mime's special attack by two stages) or Healing Wish (lets Mr. Mime faint, but fully heals the next Pokémon coming in) is thrown in for support or setting up. So, what about natures and items? Well, a Timid nature is the best option, but you could go for a Modest nature combined with a Choice Scarf. If that's not your cup of tea, the Choice Specs or a Life Orb are great options, as is an Assault Vest. That increases Mr. Mime's already high special defense by 50%, but only lets it use damaging moves.

Wow, this takes 'creepy' to a whole new level. I know Mr. Mime is exactly that, but
this is almost nightmarish...

Oh God, did I mention that I hate clowns? And mimes? Well, I do. And it's not that I think Mr. Mime is a bad Pokémon per se, but its design and flavor really don't appeal to me.

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FO' YOUR SHENANIGANS, BITCH!

Ugh, I think Mr. Mime is creepier than most Pokémon with so-called horror Pokédex entries such as Banette, Drifloon or Drowzee and Hypno (and those are only a few of them). I've developed a very, very strong dislike towards this Pokémon that is never ever gonna go away, and I don't think I want it to go away in the first place. I'll probably never hate it as much as I hate Lickilicky and Pelipper, but that won't stop me from giving this motherfucker only 0.5 stars, which is nothing to write home about...

Rating: 0.5/5

#120 - #121: Staryu & Starmie

Nice 'real-life' fan art of Staryu. 

I... I honestly don't know where the hell I have to start with this.

Why, we know that in the anime Misty had both Staryu and Starmie on her team, but we didn't see them all that often because her annoying-ass Psyduck unwelcomingly kept bursting out of its Poké Ball whenever Misty wanted to send them out to battle. Staryu seems to be some sort of weird starfish-like Pokémon with a jewel-like exterior organ called the core, which is held in place by a golden ring around its left 'leg'. The center of Staryu's body is apparently very important, because Staryu can regenerate its body when it's completely torn apart, as long as the core remains intact. This core glows brightest and flickers fastest (with the same rhythm as a human heartbeat) when the sun goes down, when whole flocks of Staryu float to the surface from the seafloors, aligning themselves and communicating with the stars in the night sky.

The star symbol of Inanna/Ishtar; it has Staryu's round core and
shares Starmie's trait of having more appendages. 

Starmie, 'the gem of the sea', is probably even weirder, because it appears to have developed an extra set of semi-attached appendages that are able to spin 360°. Its core shines in the seven different colors of the rainbow and can now emit radio waves that are powerful enough to reach the furtest parts of the universe, which is why it is believed that Starmie are extraterrestrial. People in ancient times even imagined that they were transformed from the reflections of stars that twinkled on the ocean waves at night. However, these are just rumors, and there is absolutely no convincing proof that Starmie come from outer space; maybe they just feel a connection with the stars... or something. If anything, Starmie and its pre-evo are based on the Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility and warfare, Inanna, who was associated with Venus. That planet was regarded as two stars at that time, the 'morning star' and the 'evening star', which is why Inanna's (and her Akkadian counterpart Ishtar's) symbol is a four-pointed star that looks a lot like Staryu and Starmie combined. At least it leaves some fodder for discussion, but Starmie isn't much of a notorious Pokémon and its descent isn't really discussed often in the Pokémon community.

Starmie emitting multi-colored radio signals to space from what
I assume is the ocean floor.

When Starmie is discussed, however, it's in regard to how to use it in competitive play. There are a few ways to make use of it, but its base special attack stat of 100 makes it an excellent special attacker, especially combined with Choice Specs, a Choice Scarf or a Life Orb and a Timid or Modest nature. Starmie is capable of learning some pretty nifty moves that match its flavor, such as Recover (which is a must-have in the competitive scene), Confuse Ray and Dazzling Gleam. It also learns a variety of attacking moves, like Thunderbolt, Psychic, Surf, Hydro Pump, Scald, Flash Cannon, Ice Beam, Signal Beam, Psyshock, Grass Knot, Rapid Spin (which is often used on Starmie to get rid of entry hazard like Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes), and even Power Gem if you bother to hold off evolving Staryu for a while. It even knows Reflect Type (also learned as Staryu), a move that changes Starmie's typing to the opponent's, which is handy if you see any super-effective moves coming your way and you want to remove entry hazards or heal up. You're spoiled for choice if you are composing a moveset for Starmie, but also when choosing an ability. Illuminate has no effect in battle and is therefore a worthless ability, but Natural Cure heals Starmie from a non-volatile status condition when you switch it out and Analytic increases the power of a move by 30% if the target has already acted in the same turn. That won't happen very often, as Starmie is fast, but you might as well make use of it. Natural Cure is the more reliable ability, though.

I like Starmie. I think it's weird, but a good kind of weird. It's one of those Pokémon that has a whole lot of mystery behind it (hence its classification as the 'Mysterious Pokémon'), and I think that's what makes it so fun to use, even though its design is not all that. You know what? I'll give it a 4-star rating, just for the heck of it. At least I like it enough to say that it deserves such a high rating, because Starmie is just a good and interesting Pokémon, period.

Rating: 4/5

#118 - #119: Goldeen & Seaking

Some elegant fan art of Goldeen.

It's a fucking goldfish.

You know, I had a goldfish when I was still in elementary school. I named it Seaking, after the Pokémon, and it had about the same color scheme, too. The goddamn thing went bonkers, I'm telling you, starting to swim upside down and all... Jesus Christ. And then it died. All I can say is that I wasn't sad in the slightest, because goldfish are boring, period. Goldeen is no ordinary goldfish though, because ordinary goldfish don't have horns they use to smash their way to freedom if they are kept in an aquarium (although it has to be said that Goldeen and its evolution are probably also based on Matsya, an avatar that the Hindu god Vishnu assumed, which is sometimes depicted as a fish with a horn). I'm also quite sure that the caudal fins of ordinary goldfish aren't admired by many for their beauty because they billow very much like a ball gown. They surely don't have the nickname of the Water Queen because of that, which Goldeen does, even though the gender ratio among Goldeen is an equal 50/50. It swims against the currents of rivers at a steady 5 knots (which is a little under 6 miles per hour), but can also be found in ponds and lakes.

Here we have this beautiful modified art again! 

Its evolution Seaking aren't only capable of swimming against a river's currents, they can travel up waterfalls as well. That is probably the reason why Seaking and Goldeen are the only Pokémon capable of learning the move Waterfall by level-up, in the first generation even before it became an HM move later on. In the autumn, they travel upriver, where male Seaking engage in elaborate courtship dances to woo females (yeah, despite its name, Seaking lives in rivers and its gender ratio is still a fair 50/50). They make their nests in riverbed boulders in order to prevent their spawn from washing away, protecting their offspring with their lives by patrolling the area around their nests. During spawning season, the Seaking gather from all over and make the river turn a brilliant red color, becoming an even brighter and more beautiful red themselves, but despite that, I think Seaking is quite the ugly fish. Look at that mouth, man...

A Seaking deflects Ash's Pikachu's Thunderbolt to Ash's Snorunt
with a Horn Drill in Ash's double battle against Gym Leader
Juan in the anime episode "The Great Eight Fate!"; season 8,
episode 18.

Also ugly are its stats, which are underwhelming at best. At base 92, its attack stat is by far the best, and that would have worked if the rest of its stats had been around 90 as well. Unfortunately that is not the case: while its HP and special defense are an OK base 80, the rest end up under 70, including its speed stat. That doesn't make Seaking very fast. Unless you use it in a rain team, that is, in which case its ability Swift Swim will activate, effectively doubling Seaking's speed. Just make sure you make another of your Pokémon set up the rain, though, because Seaking will need the Choice Band. That item raises its attack by 50% but makes it capable of using only one move until it is switched out. However, you'd do better to ditch the rain bullshit and go straight for the Lightning Rod approach, because Seaking isn't a very good Swift Swim user. Lightning Rod, on the other hand, eliminates one of Seaking's weaknesses: electric. It draws in all electric-type attacks and even gives Seaking a boost in its special attack if it is hit by one. Not that Seaking is going to use that boost, because it is a physical attacker, but one weakness fewer is always nice! As for its moves, Seaking relies on Waterfall. Aqua Tail might be an option, as it is stronger, but it doesn't have a chance to flinch should Seaking outspeed anything and it has lower accuracy. Drill Run, Poison Jab and Megahorn provide excellent type coverage, while Knock Off is used to make the opponent lose its held item during the remainder of the battle. Slap an Adamant nature and a Choice Band on Lightning Rod Seaking to max out its attack (it needs that desperately!) and you might just have a decent Pokémon.

Honestly, I don't mind Goldeen and Seaking, neither do I really have affection for them. I had a Goldeen plushie once, but it wasn't my favorite and I don't think I had it for very long, either. But I don't think that Seaking is the worst Pokémon ever, nor are its design and flavor overly boring; they're moderately interesting, let's put it that way.

Rating: 3.5/5

#116 - #117, #230: Horsea, Seadra & Kingdra

A Horsea with a black eye is issuing a warning by spraying its ink
on the surface of the water in "Tentacool and Tentacruel"; season
1, episode 19. This Horsea would later join Misty's team.

Ahhh, we all know the Horsea Misty caught in the anime episode "Tentacool & Tentacruel", which I discussed in - obviously - Tentacool and Tentacruel's entry.

And by that I mean the anime episode, not Horsea.

Despite the fact that I basically discussed the entire episode in that entry, I mainly focused on the jellyfish and actually didn't mention Horsea once. Still, Horsea - who got injured by Tentacool and Tentacruel off-screen - played an important role in this episode, warning Ash and the others about the approaching danger by creating an image of Tentacool and Tentacruel on the sea's surface with its ink. While the attack is ongoing, Horsea even tries to plead with Tentacruel to stop, unfortunately to no avail. When the raid is over and Nastina still doesn't want to listen, Horsea sprays ink in her face before Tentacruel swats her away with its tentacle. Horsea ultimately decides to join Misty and becomes a faithful member of her team.

Glauert's seadragon, or the leafy seadragon, might have been the
inspiration for Horsea and its evolutions, even though Skrelp and
Dragalge look more like it. Instead, the weedy seadragon might
have been the inspiration for Kingdra, as it's a little less decorative.

Sadly, Horsea's Pokédex entries really aren't anything worth mentioning, as most characteristics match real-life seahorses as well, including the fact that male seahorses - rather than female ones - take the reins in childbirth and raise the young. Much more interesting is the speculation what Horsea is based on. It is classified as the 'Dragon Pokémon' (a typing it doesn't get until it evolves into its final evolution, Kingdra), so it might as well be based on the leafy sea dragon, a seahorse-like marine fish that was more likely the inspiration for the Gen. VI Pokémon Skrelp and Dragalge than for Horsea, but whatevs. A more probable reason why it is classified as such is its Japanese name, Tattu (タッツー), which is a corruption of tatsu, part of the common name for a seahorse in Japanese: tatsu-no-otoshigo, meaning 'illegitimate child of a dragon'. Huh, interesting.

The Horsea family from left to right: Horsea, Seadra and
Kingdra. 

This recurring dragon theme is going to play a bigger role with every evolution, because the English and Japanese names for Horsea's evolution Seadra are exactly the same. The name is a combination of 'seahorse' and 'dragon', and quite honestly, Seadra does look more like a dragon than Horsea. It also gets the Poison Point ability, as its Pokédex entries say that the venom it emits from the sharp, spiky fins on its back is toxic enough to induce fainting in humans, but that its fins and bones are prized among practitioners of traditional herbal medicine. Yet Seadra is neither a poison type nor a dragon type. I assume this has something to do with the Red and Blue game mechanics: there were no dragon-type moves in Gen. I other than Dragon Rage, which deals a fixed 40 damage, and as dragon was only weak to ice and itself, Seadra would have had no real weaknesses because of its ice-resisting water typing. That feature would have made Seadra way too overpowered, and it is probably the reason why Gyarados had (and still has) flying as its secondary type instead of dragon as well.

Now, THIS is an awesome drawing of Kingdra!

Fortunately, in Seadra's case, Game Freak changed that in Gen. II by giving it an evolution that is actually a dual water/dragon type: Kingdra. While Horsea and Seadra's flavor is nothing short of dull, Kingdra has characteristics that's gonna leave your jaw dropped on the goddamn floor. Here goes: Kingdra's yawn is strong enough to create undercurrents capable of destroying small ships. Should it decide to emerge from the depths of the ocean, its strength can create large whirlpools and sea-born tornadoes on the surface. Better yet (or worse, depending on how you look at it), because of its immense power it can create giant whirlpools even when it stirs in the cave it resides in at the very depths of the ocean, where no other Pokémon can survive. It is said to awaken and go wandering about in search for prey when a storm is 'bout to arrive. Kingdra is probably based on the Japanese legend of Ryūjin (or Ryōjin), a dragon god that is said to bear power over the seas of the world, live on the floors of deep bodies of water, and is known for its weather-like ascensions into the heavens. Now, THAT is quite some different shit than Seadra's Pokédex entries, which say that it is only capable of creating whirlpools when it spins its body around in order to catch prey.

Kingdra. Would it just have awoken from a deep slumber?

Such a shame that the method to obtain Kingdra is a little troublesome (you have to trade Seadra to another game while it is holding a Dragon Scale), but at least you'll have a great competitive Pokémon. Right? Well yeah, if you have a physical Kingdra, sure. I mean, its base attack and special attack stats of 95 are exactly the same and its entire learnset is solely special, but Kingdra has access to a great status move: Dragon Dance. This move raises its attack and speed by one stage each, so don't let it set up very often, because it'll turn into a speedy powerhouse before you know it. It is even somewhat of a tank, because its base defense and special defense stats of 95 and HP stat of 75 are nothing to sneeze at, either. And it learns just enough physical moves to be of use: Waterfall has a chance to flinch, Outrage is a strong, indispensable dragon-type move (be cautious, because you will be locked into this move for two or three turns), and Iron Head provides perfect coverage against fairy types, to which Kingdra has a weakness. Combine it with a Jolly nature, a Life Orb, Scope Lens (increases Kingdra's critical hit ratio) or Lum Berry (heals whichever status condition) as a held item, and the ability Sniper. That ability, like the Scope Lens, increases the critical hit ratio of Kingdra's moves. You can even ditch Iron Head and go for Focus Energy, which - you guessed it - increases Kingdra's critical hit ratio.

More Kingdra fan art.

As for the rest of its abilities: Damp is its hidden ability and is used to prevent weather conditions from taking effect, which is purely situational, while Swift Swim is mainly used when composing a rain team. In that case, Kingdra would work out great with a special moveset consisting of Hydro Pump, Draco Meteor, Ice Beam and Rain Dance. Flash Cannon is a great move for coverage against, yet again, fairy types, and Scald can be used to try and burn the foe. Usually, a Timid or Modest nature is required with such a set, and when you give it Choice Specs or a Life Orb to hold, you'll have a very, very decent special-attacking Kingdra. You can even go the diverse way and slap a Rash, Mild, Naive or Hasty nature on it to create a mixed attacker. Just make sure you don't put Kingdra up against a Pokémon with Freeze-Dry, because this ice-type move hits water types super-effectively (usually, water resists ice), which effectively makes Kingdra four times weak to it.

As you can read, Kingdra leaves you spoiled for choice. I quite like this Pokémon, and I definitely like it more than its pre-evolutions. I mean, Horsea is cute and all, but not very interesting. Neither is Seadra, for that matter. Kingdra all the way! Well, not all the way, but definitely more than halfway...

Rating: 4/5

#115: Kangaskhan

Mother hen and her cute little baby.

Remember the Zimbabwean lion Cecil, who was killed last year by a guy named Walter Palmer, an American dentist who kills big game just for sport?

Yeah, apparently mankind is as cruel in the Pokémon world as in real life.

You see, Kangaskhan were nearly hunted to extinction, until somebody was so smart to pass a bill that stated that they should be protected. And they are being protected now, but they are a very rare species only found in the Safari Zone. Well, that was the case in Red, Blue and Yellow at least; in later games you could still find them in one area or another, even though their encounter rate was still somewhat low (never higher than 10%). And considering Kangaskhan will always protect the baby in its pouch at all costs, even sleeping standing up so as to not crush its young, it is plausible to think that it was rather difficult to hunt, equal to the Big Five (a term coined by big-game hunters to refer to the African lion, Cape buffalo, African leopard, African elephant and black and white rhinoceros, for their difficulty to hunt on foot). It's interesting how some Pokémon's characteristics are serious fodder for discussion, as they sometimes represent issues that are problematic in the real world as well. In the case of hunting, they show how cruel, rotten and corrupt humans can sometimes be; in other cases, such as pollution, they show how neglectful, ignorant and selfish humans mostly are. It definitely leaves some food for thought...

Official art of Mega Kangaskhan by Ken Sugimori. Only the
child's appearance has changed; it looks more like its mother now,
including its eyes, armor-like patches on its knees and spiky tail.

Anyway, Kangaskhan. Its name is a contraction of kangaroo and Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, despite the species being exclusively female. On the other hand, Kangaskhan's design shows some elements of Mongolian laminar armor, so combine that with how violently protective Kangaskhan is of its child and the name makes much more sense. No matter how badly injured Kangaskhan becomes, the mother will not cease fighting until its young is safe, except in its Mega form. That's right, Kangaskhan has had a Mega evolution ever since X and Y came out, and it's probably the quaintest one, as Kangaskhan itself didn't get a change in its appearance like the rest of the Mega evolutions did; instead, the child in its pouch grows and gets to battle with its mother. That kinda contradicts Kangaskhan's flavor, as it is so protective of its child and the latter barely even leave its mother's pouch until it is three years old (I doubt even Pokémon grow as fast as demonstrated by Kangaskhan's Mega evolution's young, aside from regular evolution), but let's not be finicky about that. I mean, a Mega is nothing more than a battle mechanic to make a Pokémon stronger and, hopefully, more useful. Moreover, one characteristic of Mega Kangaskhan does make sense: the child is feisty, hates to lose and will boldly challenge its opponents to protect its mother. All of the mother's nurturing is finally paying off: baby loves its mama!

Mother Kangaskhan pulling her baby out of her pouch, getting
ready for battle (Mega Kangaskhan).

Besides, Mega Kangaskhan has a nifty new signature ability that perfectly matches its flavor: Parental Bond. This ability makes moves that Kangaskhan uses two-strike moves, with the second strike being half as strong as the first; one could see that as the child attacking after its parent. What's more: any secondary effects, such as the attack raise from Power-Up Punch, occur twice, and priority moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch can easily be abused. There are even other effects, such as each strike having a separate chance to get a critical hit, that are so overpowered that Mega Kangaskhan resides in the Uber tier (where most OP legendary Pokémon like Lugia, Kyogre and Zekrom can be found). It is just too strong for normal tiers like OU, UU, RU and NU, especially since its base attack stat is already a powerful 125 (before applying abilities), while its base speed stat of 100 is nothing to sneeze at, either.

This is a very nice drawing of Kangaskhan!

For battles in a normal tier, I'd recommend using a regular Kangaskhan holding a regular item, preferably a Life Orb, Choice Band or Assault Vest, or maybe even a Silk Scarf if you want to run Double-Edge and don't want to take additional damage from a Life Orb. Jolly or Adamant is the preferred nature, while Scrappy (makes Kangaskhan hit ghost-type Pokémon with normal- and fighting-type moves, which ghost types are usually resistant to) is the most useful ability. Early Bird causes Kangaskhan to wake up earlier than usual, but that ability is merely situational and might not be of use. Inner Focus, however, prevents flinching, which might not be a bad idea if you suspect a Fake Out abuser or a Pokémon with the Serene Grace ability; still, Scrappy is the best ability to go with. As for Kangaskhan's moveset, this Pokémon learns a shitload of useful moves, most notably Double-Edge, Return and Fake Out, normal-type moves that it obtains STAB from. Crunch, Rock Slide, Outrage, Earthquake, Sucker Punch, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Aqua Tail and Iron Tail are options as well. And it's a shame Kangaskhan doesn't get the Iron Fist ability, because it is able to lean Comet Punch (which is terrible, actually), Mega Punch (you're better off with Return), Dizzy Punch (mediocre, but has a chance to confuse the opponent), Hammer Arm, Focus Punch (only works reliably in conjunction with Substitute), the elemental punches, and Drain Punch. Especially the latter is nice, because it is a reliable source of healing for Kangaskhan. All of these moves are great options depending on what Pokémon you're gonna face and what kind of Kangaskhan you want to use.

TCG wallpaper of Mega Kangaskhan.

Kangaskhan is probably one of the few stand-alone Gen. I Pokémon that didn't get an evolution or a pre-evolution (Mega-evolving doesn't count, because it is temporary), the other ones being Farfetch'd, Pinsir, Tauros and Lapras. And quite honestly, Farfetch'd is the only one who actually needed an evolution but didn't get it. It's too bad Game Freak made Mega Kangaskhan way too overpowered by giving it the most broken ability ever. Kangaskhan needed a little love, but there is such a thing as giving it too much love, I guess. Nevertheless, Kangaskhan is an amazing, versatile Pokémon to use competitively. However, because of balancing problems (its Mega is too OP and its regular form falls a little short stat-wise, which is why it resides in the NU tier) I am unwilling to give it a perfect rating, even though I still love this Pokémon. 4.5 stars should do, right?

Rating: 4.5/5