Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's New Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon Has a Delightful Nod to Godzilla

The signature move of the newest pseudo-legendary Pokemon is an unmistakable nod to one of Godzilla's strangest abilities. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduce Frigibax and its evolutions Arctibax and Baxcalibur. All three Pokemon are dinosaur-like Pokemon with a very distinct axe-like spike on their backs. Baxcalibur's crest looks almost identical to the dorsal spike that adorn Godzilla's back. Baxcalibur's signature move Glaive Rush is another seeming reference to the King of the Monsters. The Pokemon rushes at its opponent to ram its spike into its opponent, looking like an upside-down version of Godzilla's unique method of flight from the seminal Godzilla vs. Hedorah. You can check out the animation of Baxcalibur's attack below, followed by Godzilla's radioactive breath-powered flight. 

This isn't the first time that Godzilla has gotten a nod in the Pokemon franchise. Tyranitar bears more than an uncanny resemblance to Godzilla, with its Mega Evolution likely inspired by the Godzilla seen in the 1993 video game Super Godzilla. Meanwhile, Hydreigon was likely inspired by King Ghidorah. Volcarona's lore has some ties to Mothra, with the Pokemon being worshipped as a god by a past civilization. A number of Legendary Pokemon use various Toho monster cries in the Pokemon animated movies, thanks to Toho distributing the Pokemon movies in Japan. 

Baxcalibur continues a trend of "psuedo-legendary" Pokemon, a group of three-stage evolution Pokemon whose final evolution has a base stat total of 600. These Pokemon are usually among the most powerful in the games, with Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, Goodra, Hydreigon, Garchomp and Dragapult all appearing in the new games.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on the Nintendo Switch. You can follow our full coverage here.