#250: Ho-Oh

Ho-Oh as seen in the very first episode of the anime series.

You know, I don't mean to offend anyone who loves Ho-Oh, but this Pokémon is nowhere near as sick as Lugia. Ho-Oh is the first Gen. II Pokémon to be shown in the anime, and in the very first episode at that, but it didn't get the attention Lugia got: it doesn't have its own movie or anime arc and the appearances it has made so far are merely cameos. And even though Lugia doesn't have the power to resurrect Pokémon like Ho-Oh does - the latter revived Entei, Raikou and Suicune during a war that caused the Tin Tower and Brass Tower to burn down - Ho-Oh got nothing on Lugia. Game Freak even took Ho-Oh's signature move Sacred Fire and gave it to Entei, who makes far better use of it, while Lugia is still showing off what I call Aeroblast awesomeness. Poor Ho-Oh; it's as if Game Freak knows Lugia is more loved and popular than Ho-Oh and that they're deliberately putting it in the spotlights on a continuing basis because that's what the audience want. Of course, Ho-Oh is the mascot of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon HeartGold, but Lugia even got its own GameCube game in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. I absolutely LOVE Lugia and I fully understand why it is getting more attention, but that doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for Ho-Oh.

Flaming homo Fearow. :')

Like, it's not as if it's a bad Pokémon or something. It has the same base stat total as Lugia, sitting at 680, so it should obviously do something right. Right? Right, so its base 154 special defense is by far its best stat, which means you could easily run a specially defensive Ho-Oh, right? Wrong. It's not even necessary to invest in some HP EV training, because its base 130 attack and base 110 special attack make it more of a mixed attacker. At least, that's what Ho-Oh could be used for, as it learns some nifty special-based moves aside from its excellent physical-based coverage, although it is more common to run an Adamant-natured Ho-Oh holding a Choice Band or Life Orb. Naturally, its moveset should consist of STAB Brave Bird, STAB Sacred Fire (which is a physical move, strangely), Earthquake and a fourth and final move that fits your needs. You see, Ho-Oh resides in Smogon's Uber tier, like Lugia. When you know for a certainty that the opponent is bringing a Darkrai to the battlefield, you can also be sure that it's going to put you to sleep with Dark Void. So in order to counter that, you can give Ho-Oh Sleep Talk, which is a move that selects any of its other moves to attack with and makes sure you hit the Darkrai or any Pokémon your opponent switches out into. However, if you feel safer with an extra coverage move, Zen Headbutt and Iron Head are both viable options.

Ho-Oh does have its flaws, though: it has a quadruple weakness to rock and thus it's heavily damaged by Stealth Rock - and any physical-based rock-type move for that matter, due to its relatively low base 90 defense stat. Even its hidden ability Regenerator, which heals Ho-Oh when it switches out and is an amazing ability otherwise, won't do much for it then. And, to top it off, this bird's base 90 speed makes it slower than a flying beluga whale. Go figure.

Ho-Oh in front of the Bell Tower, a.k.a. the Tin Tower. This
tower was rebuilt after the war that meant the destruction of the
Brass and Tin Towers, but the former was never renovated or
rebuilt.

Yeah, while Lugia's design is just plain fabulous, Ho-Oh's design, typing and origin actually make a lot more sense. While it looks like it's based on phoenixes in general - hōō is Japanese for 'phoenix' - its Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese names of Fuhngwòhng (鳳凰) and Fèngwáng (鳳王), respectively, refer to one specific phoenix called the fenghuang, a mythological bird from Chinese folklore that reigns over all the other birds. As it often replaces the rooster in the Chinese zodiac, it is often referred to as the 'August Rooster'. While in the West it is commonly called the Chinese phoenix, mythological similarities with the Western phoenix are superficial, although the fenghuang was often depicted attacking snakes with its talons and wings spread. Anyone who has seen or read Fawkes attack the basilisk in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets knows what the fuck I'm talking about. Ho-Oh may also be based on the Huma, a mythical bird from Iranian legends and fables that is said to never alight on the ground and instead to live its entire life flying invisibly high above the Earth. In several variations of the Huma tale, the bird is said to consume itself in fire every few hundred years and rise anew from its ashes. Apparently, it can do the same thing with others, which is an obvious wink to Ho-Oh's power of resurrection: it was seen to be reborn from its own ashes and had a hand in resurrecting the legendary beasts. Also, anyone who catches a glimpse of the Huma, or even its shadow, will be sure to be a happy motherfucker for the rest of their life. Same for Ho-Oh, because the rare pure-hearted few who bear witness to it are promised eternal happiness.

Additionally, the fact that Ho-Oh leaves a trail of rainbows and myths in its wake when it flies the skies continuously on its magnificent seven-colored wings (that's another Huma reference right there) in search for Trainers with a pure heart may mean it's based on Achiyalabopa, a bird god of the Native American Pueblo peoples. It is described as being extraordinary in size and having rainbow-colored feathers that are as sharp as knives.

Okay, this wallpaper is kind of lit.

Oh, Ho-Oh... There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, it's just that Lugia gets more love. And I'm guilty of paying all of my attention to your counterpart as well, because I absolutely ADORE Lugia and I don't think you're as interesting as my second favorite Pokémon. Lugia is unique, one of a kind; this whole phoenix thing, however, was done with Moltres before you came, and has been done all over with Fletchinder and Talonflame recently. Ho-Oh, you have been deprived of being put in the spotlights by Game Freak and Nintendo over and over again, while all the love went to Lugia. You know what? I'll give you a 4.5-star rating, maybe that'll cheer you up.

Ah, who the fuck am I kidding? Ho-Oh will spend its life hiding itself until it gets faith in humanity again, and I don't see that happen anytime soon.

Rating: 4.5/5