Warhawk Recap

Pokemon Fan Theory proven in Pokemon: Moon

Video game conspiracy theories are about as old as video games themselves, and it seems as though every game has at least one or two unproven fan theories. With the Dark Cubone/Kangaskhan theory, it seems as though the Pokemon series is no exception, until the theory was proven in Pokemon Moon.

The widely circulated theory that appeared on the internet after the release of Pokemon Red & Blue states that Cubone, a bone-slinging ground-type pokemon that evolves into Marowak, was originally intended to be the pre-evolution of Kangaskhan, a normal-type pokemon that does not evolve. However, it could never be proven, and Nintendo remained silent on the topic.

Kangaskhan is a Generation I pokemon that famously carries its young in a pouch, much like a kangaroo.  According to the theory, after a mother Kangaskhan dies, the baby in her pouch would be left on its own and is forced to use the skull of its mother to defend itself. The baby puts the skull on its head, and thus, becomes a Cubone.

This portion of the theory is supported by the PokeDex entry for Cubone from Pokemon Moon that states: “The skull it wears on its head is that of its dead mother. According to some, it will evolve when it comes to terms with the pain of her death.”

However, despite this entry, it is possible to use Cubone’s in-game evolution Marowak to hatch a baby Cubone from an egg at the day care and continue to play with the Marowak in your party. This would appear to mean that Marowak may not be the pokemon that Cubone’s PokeDex entry was talking about.

So how has Pokemon Moon finally proven that these two pokemon that appear to be completely unrelated may originally have been from the same evolutionary tree?

Well first, the two pokemon aren’t unrelated. One clue comes from Cubone’s signature move, Bonemerang. According to Pokemon Moon: “The user throws the bone it holds. The bone loops around to hit the target twice—coming and going.” It appears as though Cubone is using his bone as a boomerang, a nod to the famous Australian weapon, creating a similar theme between the two Pokemon.

Still, Cubone and a baby Kangaskhan aren’t officially related, but the possibility exists. They are about the same size, and a baby Kangaskhan has ears that poke out, which could relate directly to the iconic horns poking off Cubone’s skull. Finally, both pokemon exist exclusively in the ‘Monster’ egg group for breeding.

However, all of this was unproven until fans noticed a small Easter egg in one of the new mechanics in Pokemon Moon.

In random encounters in the game, a wild pokemon is able to Call for Help, requesting the aid of another pokemon that may or may not arrive. In almost all circumstances, the help comes in the form of a similar pokemon, but that doesn’t always apply for our old friend Cubone.

When Cubone Calls for Help, occasionally a non-Cubone pokemon will show up. Who’s that Pokemon? It’s Kangaskhan!  The Parent pokemon rushes to the defense of a poor Cubone and confirms one of the Internet’s deepest and longest-running conspiracies.

2 Comments so far
Leave a comment



Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Your Comment

Δ