New Names for the Paradox Exclusives in Pokémon Violet
The Paradox Pokémon introduced in the Scarlet and Violet games are hands down one of the most exciting thing about the newest additions to the series. Following from Violet’s focus on the future as the franchise furthers its exploration of time, its exclusives are also largely mechanical. This is of course, terribly exciting as the Pokémon world had always shied away from robots. Up until Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the only robotic opponents within the franchise were the few featured in Pokéstar Studio such as MT and UFO, which are modelled after Tyranitar and Cascoon respectively, and the robot with a heart, F-00. Even then, they were only regarded as props and not recognised as official Pokémon.
This changed with Magearna’s debut in Pokémon Sun and Moon but it is not until Scarlet and Violet did GameFreak introduce a whole bevy of mechanical wonders to their line up. That said, I was somewhat bothered by how their names all start with ‘Iron’. The prehistoric forms featured in Pokémon Scarlet all had unique names so the naming convention used for the Violet exclusives seemed rather strange to me. Perhaps it’s gesturing towards an increased level of conformity in the future but this decision seems limiting and also somewhat unimaginative to me. Aside from how it somewhat forces all of these futuristic forms into being robots, I thought it was also rather restrictive to have only one word to play around with when naming these incredibly creative designs. Wanting to fix this situation, I tried coming up with alternate names for the 7 of them sans Miraidon.
This game is not without its rules though. From the start of the series to the Black and White games, a Pokémon’s name could not exceed 10 letters. Some of the longest names then include Weepinbell, Sudowoodo, Hitmonchan amongst many other. This changed in Kalos and the X and Y games when Fletchinder became the sole holder of the title with 11 letters in its name. Come the Sun and Moon games, the code changed once again and the Pokémon with the longest name is now Crabominable, with 12 letters. With this in mind, here are my proposed name changes for the futuristic Paradox Pokémon.
Neon Thorns
Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Duraludon was supposed to be the Mecha-Godzilla to Tyranitar’s Godzilla but it never quite took off to me. After a long wait, we finally got a proper Mecha Tyranitar with Iron Thorns. I particular like “Neon Thorns” for it because not only is it perfectly apt from a visual perspective, I love the way the two words rhyme with one another. It just rolls of the tongue easily. Now speaking of things that roll…
Chrome Tread
Given Iron Treads shiny exterior, “Chrome” is in my opinion, the perfect word for it despite being rather lengthy at 6 letters long. Using it alongside “Threads” however, would mean that the character limit would be exceeded. Since the word is a nod towards Donphan’s wheel inspiration as it refers to “the thick moulded part of a vehicle tyre that grips the road”, I wanted to keep it for the Donphan of the future as much as possible.
After putting much thought into it, I thought using it in the plural feels wrong as the Pokémon is just a singular wheel. Since “Tread” also refers to a “specific way of walking”, I decided to do away with the “s” at its back so as to keep its name within the alphabet count. After all, while it does move in more than one way, how it spins around is clearly what makes it unique.
Turbo Hands
“Turbo” is one of those words that are often associated with the future and speed in particular so I thought it will be apt for Iron Hands, especially since its said to have “fists that move independent of its body and to be capable of throwing large, fast-moving vehicles”.
I also toyed with the idea of “Glow” or “Aglow” but it seems to be too gentle for something as hard-hitting as Hariyama and it’s variant with the highly-anticipated Fighting/Electric typing which is long overdue.
Viral Blight
Referencing a real world animal for Iron Moth didn’t feel right so I decided to lean into it’s Poison typing and name it “Viral Blight” instead. This would I believe give it more character as opposed to being just a mechnical version of some insect. Taking away the “Iron” in its name would also create more room to play with the references to UFOs and “alien life” within the Pokémon’s lore.
This may be a bit of a stretch but I thought “Blight” would also work nicely with Volcarona’s other variant, Slither Wings due to the shared “li” in their names and the way it creates a false rhyme. Now on the topic of fakes…
Wry Jugulis
I actually love the name Iron Jugulis. “Jugulis” is in my opinion, particularly clever as it feels strangely, and sinisterly, futuristic despite being a Latin word relating to the throat. Given how apt it is for Hydreigon, I wanted to retain it even though it consists of a good 7 letters, leaving little room for me to come up with an alternative for “Iron”.
After scanning through many Scrabble guidebooks, the best word I have for this Pokémon is “Wry” which means “using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humour”. Even though it doesn’t have much to do with the future, it works in the same was “Jugulis” does and evokes the unknown through the use of uncommon letters. Not only is its meaning perfect for it’s Dark typing, there are also similarities to old words for Dragon like “Wyrm” and “Wyvern” and it also rhymes with “Tri” being its three heads.
Cyber Bounty
“Cyber” is yet another one of those obvious choices for the futuristic forms but I thought it was particularly apt for Iron Bundle as I thought it’ll be cute to have a Thanksgiving counterpart to the Christmas icon Delibird so that the Pokémon Company can promote them alongside one another.
Given that it’s also significantly stronger, I decided to also dress it up with an edgier name, “Bounty”, so as to give it a mercenarial edge. After all, “Bundle” feels rather pedestal to me.
Iron Valiant
Iron Valiant has a special place in my heart. Aside from its unique Fairy/Fighting typing which is something that I’ve been dying for, I also love how it’s a fusion of Mega. Most important of all is the way it gives new meaning to genderless Pokémon as the two Pokémon it is a fusion of were often regarded as the pinnacles of masculinity and femininity respectively. Further compounding this is the fact that the latter can also be male despite its effeminate appearance. All things considered, Iron Valiant can pretty much be regarded as the representative for the fluidity of gender within the Pokémon world.
From this perspective, the “Iron” in its name has added significance, especially in light of the hardships faced by the gender non-conforming populace, for it can be read as the Pokémon having an “iron will”, similar to how “Valiant” means “possessing or showing courage or determination”. In terms of gameplay, this association with metal is all the more interesting for even though Iron Valiant is a Fairy type Pokémon that can still be hurt by Steel-type moves, it is nonetheless able to deal super effective damage (with a STAB bonus even) to Pokémon of that type! Altogether, it seems perfect for it so I actually wouldn’t chance a thing about it.
And with that we have, Neon Thorns, Chrome Tread, Turbo Hands, Viral Blight, Wry Jugulis, Cyber Bounty and Iron Valiant. What do you think of my suggestions? Let me know if you like them or if you have any ideas of yours?
