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Stunfisk and Galarian Stunfisk - does the name matters?

Leaf_Ranger

For Nature & Creatures
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When seeing Galarian Stunfisk I liked it's new design and the dangerous look to it. I'm currently playing White, caught a Stunfisk and that's when it hit me: Stunfisk is Ground/Electric and has many Electric-type moves but why is Galarian Stunfisk named "Stunfisk"?
Galarian Stunfisk's Pokedex entries do not mention any use of electricity as a way of catching prey or behaving and the only move of that type that it learns - through TM - is Thunder Wave so why still calling it "Stunfisk"? It seems lazy to not create a new name for it when the elements (moves, behaviour, appearence) that provide its original name are no longer there. I think that this new Pkmn should just have a new name like "Trapfisk".

What do you think about it?
 
I think it's pretty clearly a deliberate choice to keep the name the same, because it emphasizes that this is still the same species, just in a different form. If we compare it to a real-life example such as Darwin's finches, then the name "Stunfisk" or "Sandshrew" is I think meant to be analogous to the overarching term "finch," with the differentiation coming elsewhere, in the description of what form of Stunfisk or Sandshrew it is.

Now, that being said, I do think it would be more illustrative and more true-to-life if they weren't all given the generic umbrella designation of "Alolan" or "Galarian" form. Personally I'd prefer something more individualized, descriptive, and flavorful, like idk, "Towering Exeggutor" or "Brawling Farfetch'd," in the same way those finches are described as "sharp-beaked ground finch," "vampire finch," "common cactus finch," etc. But then, that might be a lot less helpful for reference guides, where "Alolan" and "Galarian" immediately contextualize the form by the region it was introduced in and is native to.

Plus, the alleged need for "new names" seems fairly situational. Yes, there are some Pokémon that shed the elements of their design that originally informed their names, but then there are others, like Rattata, that don't. So would they have a mix of Rattata - Alolan Form and also just Slushrew? Or would they contrive to name Rattata something else even though it doesn't really need to be renamed? I think it's more communicative of the concept and its potential for broad reinvention to keep the contrast that is generated by juxtaposing their original names with their new designs.
 
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Alolan Sandshrew/Sandslash says hi.

It really doesn't matter, now does it? It's the same Mon it just underwent a process of real-life evolution to better adapt to its new environment. The lore behind G-Stunfisk is that because the mud it now lives in is extremely high in iron that it ended up losing it's Electric typing and gained Steel because its body absorbed so much iron. The fact of the matter is that Stunfisk will always been Stunfisk, typing be damned, it just evolved differently to better accommodate its new habitat. It's no different than any of the other regional variants who changed/gained typings due to environmental/habit changes. It's just the natural process of real-life evolution, forcing the Mon to undergo a change in order to adapt and adjust to the differences between its normal/original habitats to its current one, like like various real-life animals. So, no, Stunfisk will always be Stunfisk, no matter the form or typing, as it just simply adapted to the changes in its environment in order to better live in said environment.
 
I don't mind Stunfisk, Sandshrew and Sandslash keeping the same names - what confuses me more is the fact that Runerigus is classed as a new species when the afforementioned Pokemon aren't. The only thing that really sets Runerigus apart from Cofagrigus is that it inhabits a clay slab instead of a coffin. Its body is slightly different, keeping Yamask's tail instead of gaining extra arms (and it possibly has only one eye, unless the other is hidden) but is this enough to warrant being classified as a new species? It could have been classed as a Galarian Cofagrigus, and it seems that the only reason it wasn't is because the name doesn't fit the design. In which case, why aren't Stunfisk, Sandshrew and Sandlash's regional forms classed as new species too?

I think Perrserker being classed as a separate species makes more sense, though, because it bears no resemblance to Persian at all.

Also, try walking into a bear trap (but don't actually). You'll still be "stunned," I guarantee, just not in the electrical sense.

It also "stuns" Trainers by pretending to be a Poke Ball and then catching them unawares.
 
I don't mind Stunfisk, Sandshrew and Sandslash keeping the same names - what confuses me more is the fact that Runerigus is classed as a new species when the afforementioned Pokemon aren't. The only thing that really sets Runerigus apart from Cofagrigus is that it inhabits a clay slab instead of a coffin. Its body is slightly different, keeping Yamask's tail instead of gaining extra arms (and it possibly has only one eye, unless the other is hidden) but is this enough to warrant being classified as a new species? It could have been classed as a Galarian Cofagrigus, and it seems that the only reason it wasn't is because the name doesn't fit the design. In which case, why aren't Stunfisk, Sandshrew and Sandlash's regional forms classed as new species too?

Personally I think Runerigus is a pretty radical departure from Cofagrigus's design, so to me it feels very appropriate to reclassify it as a new species strictly on those grounds, but I wonder if it is more formally a lore thing.

Yamask is, at its core, a wandering soul. Once, it was a living being, and it still retains memories of that life. Nothing the Pokédex says indicates that Cofagrigus is any different - it's still that same spirit, although according to the SwSh Pokédex, it has supposedly forgotten its previous life by the time it evolves.

But Galarian Yamask follows a bit of a different path:

> Sword Dex: A clay slab with cursed engravings took possession of a Yamask. The slab is said to be absorbing the Yamask's dark power.

And now Runerigus...

> Sword Dex: A powerful curse was woven into an ancient painting. After absorbing the spirit of a Yamask, the painting began to move.

The way I understand it, the soul that comprised Yamask has gradually been consumed by the cursed clay slab. The curse has a will of its own, and emerges fully through Galarian Yamask's evolution. At that point, the curse has become powerful enough to override what little of Yamask's will and individuality that might still exist. It's not just that Yamask has forgotten its past life, as occurs with Cofagrigus, but it has in fact been completely devoured and used to help the curse develop its own evolution. So you're not looking at a lost soul merely animating a coffin or a slab, you're looking at a cursed slab that digested a lost soul in order to become animate.
 
No, it doesn't matter. Species can change over time due to some environmental differences or circumstances. Like for example: In Alola, it doesn't make same for Sandshrew and Sandslash still to be called Sandshrew and Sandslash now, since they aren't Ground types anymore. However, they are still called that way, because they stay the same species, despite having adapted.

In Galar, Stunfisk is not the only one weird. Rapidash is also - Rapid Ash - Ash = Fire. But its not fire type anymore. But its still the same species, because it adapted over time. Yamask is also one - it doesn't have a Mask anymore, so technically, the name Yamask in Galar is wrong.
 
I do have one regret.

If variants had their own names, Galarian Meowth could have been called Mjowth.
 
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