As if Game Freak hadn't garnered enough ill will from its fans with Pokémon Sword and Shield's many controversies, its newly revealed Mythical Pokémon, Zarude, is getting memed to oblivion. Known as the Rogue Monkey Pokémon, Zarude has a few unfortunate doppelgangers that create obvious mocking potential.
Pokémon Sword and Shield were divisive entries in the usually beloved series, beginning with the "No National Pokédex" controversy. Game Freak shipped the games with many of the series' creatures unobtainable, which led to lots of fan anger. Along with this, issues like lackluster graphics led to calls for a Sword and Shield boycott. Predictably, this didn't have much impact, as Pokémon Sword and Shield, combined, became the fastest-selling Switch game ever.
Many fans are once again disappointed with Game Freak after Zarude's reveal. Despite being a Mythical Pokémon, Zarude isn't very mythical. Many Mythical 'mon (which traditionally function like less-powerful Legendaries) are supposed to be unique in the context of each game's world, but Zarude is said to live in packs of other Zarude. Additionally, its appearance isn't quite as mystical as Mythical Pokémon like Mew or Celebi, and its humanoid design doesn't stand out as much as something like Sun and Moon's Mythical Zeraora - part of which is likely due to its obvious similarities to other Pokémon and other fictional characters.
Zarude's name quickly brought out Reddit references to infamous meme song "Darude Sandstorm," as well as to "za warudo," the Japanese pronunciation of "the world," often shouted by Jojo's Bizarre Adventure villain Dio. A different "Jojo" spawned most of the memes, though: Zarude's black fur, red eyes, and sinister expression have a strong resemblance to Powerpuff Girls villain Mojo Jojo. Zarude even wears a purple cape like Mojo Jojo's in the upcoming Pokémon movie, Coco. This, in combination with Sword and Shield's starter designs, almost makes it seem like Game Freak is deliberately drawing inspiration from the show, as Reddit user FunHaversClub theorized. Comparisons were also drawn to Ms. Simian, a character from The Amazing World of Gumball, and to Gremlins movie villain Stripe.
Along with all the memes were tongue-in-cheek criticisms of Game Freak's apparent lack of creativity. Reddit user Jebcom2000 compared Zarude to one of Pokémon Sword and Shield's starters, Rillaboom, "after drugs." Both are Grass-type, dark-furred primates, leading to disappointment that Zarude's design is simply a skinny, evil Rillaboom. Its typing disappointed fans like Pugpooy, as well, since the Dark/Grass combo gives it a 4x weakness to the relatively common Bug type. Additionally, Zarude appears to emerge from a Cherish Ball in the reveal trailer, suggesting it will be given out as an internet gift to Sword and Shield players. While it looks like Zarude will get some story in the Coco movie, perhaps the worst part about the Mythical 'mon is that its bad design won't even join players' teams within any interesting, in-game story context.
Pokémon Sword and Shield released for the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.
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