Mudkip

Mudkip, known in Japan as Mizugorou (ミズゴロウ), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Mudkip first appeared in the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.

Mudkip
Pokémon series character
National Pokédex
Blaziken - Mudkip (#258) - Marshtomp
First gamePokémon Ruby and Sapphire
Designed byKen Sugimori
Voiced byLindsey Warner (4Kids)
Michele Knotz (Pokémon USA)
Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese)

Known as the Mud Fish Pokémon, Mudkip first appeared in 2003 in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, as one of three starter Pokémon the player can choose from at the beginning of the games. Mudkip have appeared on the boxart for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pokémon Channel, and Pokémon Dash.

Concept and characteristics

Mudkip, known as the Mud Fish Pokémon, are small blue Pokémon with a large fin on their head that allows them to sense movements within the air and water, acting as a radar.[1] While in the water, they use the orange, spiky gills on their cheeks to breathe while using their large tail fin to propel themselves.[2][3] They are extremely strong, despite their small bodies; they are able to lift or crush large boulders.[2][4] When sleeping, they bury themselves within the soil at the edge of the water.[4] Mudkip and members of its evolution family dwell in swamps or other wetlands, deep inside isolated islands, because of their dislike of fresh water lakes and ponds. According to Bulbapedia, a Pokémon fan-site created in the style of Wikipedia, Mudkip and its evolutions are based on axolotls or mudpuppies. Additionally, IGN has said that it was "like the real-life creature known as the mudskipper, which inspired both the monster’s design and its name".[5]

Appearances

In video games

Mudkip first appeared in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and its remake Pokémon Emerald. Mudkip is one of the three starting Pokémon that players may choose from including Treecko and Torchic. After gaining enough experience in battle, Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp, which will then evolve into Swampert. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Mudkip, along with Treecko and Torchic, can be obtained from the character Steven Stone after obtaining all 16 badges and beating the final boss, Red.

Outside of the main Pokémon titles, they appear in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pokémon Trozei!, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, the Pokémon Ranger titles, Pokémon Channel, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. Mudkip appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a trophy that can be obtained through special means.[6]

In anime

In the Pokémon anime, Brock, a Pokémon breeder and former Gym leader, saves a Mudkip from being washed away in a stream when him and his companions come across a group of young Mudkips. Brock's Lotad and Mudkip then work together to defeat Team Rocket, at which point the Mudkip decides to join Brock's team.[7] Mudkip's primary role is to assist Brock during water related situations, such as searching for objects in the ocean, such as an Illumise[8] and a pearl belonging to a Spoink.[9] Mudkip also guides the Pokémon when Brock, Ash and May aren't around. It evolves into Marshtomp during a training battle versus Ash's Grovyle.[10] A separate Mudkip also appears when the group meet a trainer called Nicolai, a young trainer, who is training his first Pokémon, Mudkip, which later defeats May's Torchic in a battle. Nicolai connects with his Pokémon in battle by dressing up in a suit resembling his Pokémon, wearing both Mudkip and Zigzagoon outfits in the episode.[11]

In manga

In the manga Pokémon Adventures during the arc based on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Ruby, the male protagonist, obtains a Mudkip named Zuzu as his starter Pokémon from Professor Birch. Ruby becomes a Pokémon coordinator, a person who uses their Pokémon for contests rather than battles, and uses Zuzu in those contests. At the beginning Ruby was disappointed with it because it wasn't pretty enough like his other Pokémon, but then he decided that Tough Contests would be perfect for it. Zuzu was first used to battle against Sapphire, Ruby's rival in the manga.[12] Zuzu evolved into a Marshtomp unexpectedly while Ruby was in Slateport City,[13] and again into a Swampert, while training near Fortree City.[14]

A Mudkip also made a minor appearance in Pocket Monsters Chamo-Chamo ★ Pretty ♪, a sequel to Magical Pokémon Journey.

Reception

Kotaku called Mudkip a recognized Pokémon.[15] GameFAQs's sixth and seventh annual character battles featured Mudkip, with him losing in round one against Luigi in 2007, and against Mega Man X in 2008.[16][17] An IGN article opined that "Mudkip isn't anything very special" when considering its later forms and that "[t]he ecology of the Mudkip is similarly bland".[18] GameZone editor "jkdmedia" commented on Mudkip's design, stating that he cannot even describe what it is beyond a "funny-looking water creature".[19] GameSpot's Greg Kasavin wrote that Mudkip "fit[s] in well with the tried-and-true classics like Pikachu, Psyduck, and Koffing".[20] IGN wrote that while Mudkip was unpopular, is the best starter in Ruby and Sapphire due to its advantage over the early gyms and its Ground/Water type combination.[21] GameSpy's Michael Vreeland called Mudkip "bizarre" and "balanced".[22] IGN's Pokémon Chick chose Mudkip as her starter, but was disappointed with how Swampert turned out and argued that other Water types were better.[23] Comics Alliance's Chris Sims wrote that the starter Pokémon found in games after Red and Blue were inferior and cited Mudkip as an example.[24]

Mudkip on a sign in an Anonymous Project Chanology protest in San Francisco.

Videos, images and copypastas involving Mudkip began surfacing in 2005, and by 2007 the Pokémon, along with variations of the misspelled phrase "i herd u liek mudkipz", have become internet memes,[25][26] receiving many tribute videos on YouTube.[27][28]

On April 1, 2008, DeviantArt played an April Fool's Day joke on its members based on the meme, changing all their users avatars to images of Mudkip.[28][29] That same year, Mudkip was among the memes used by hacktivist group Anonymous in the Project Chanology protests against the Church of Scientology, where it appeared on protest signs and flags.[28][30]

References
  1. Game Freak (March 17, 2003). Pokémon Ruby (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. The fin on Mudkip's head acts as highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this Pokémon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes.
  2. Game Freak (March 17, 2003). Pokémon Sapphire (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. In water, Mudkip breathes using the gills on its cheeks. If it is faced with a tight situation in battle, this Pokémon will unleash its amazing power - it can crush rocks bigger than itself.
  3. Game Freak (September 7, 2004). Pokémon FireRed (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. Its large tail fin propels it through water with powerful acceleration. It is strong in spite of its size.
  4. Game Freak (May 1, 2005). Pokémon Emerald (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. On land, it can powerfully lift large boulders by planting its fourfeet and heaving. It sleeps by burying itself in soil at the water's edge.
  5. "Mudkip: About This Character". IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  6. "Pokémon Series Trophies". NinDB. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  7. Junki Takegami (writer) (March 13, 2004). "A Mudkip Mission". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 25. Various.
  8. Hideki Sonoda (writer) (October 16, 2004). "Love at First Flight". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 42. Various.
  9. Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (writer) (May 21, 2005). "Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend". Pokémon. Season Advanced Challenge. Episode 79. Various.
  10. Shinzō Fujita (writer) (September 16, 2006). "A Chip Off the Old Brock". Pokémon. Season Battle Frontier. Episode 79. Various.
  11. Shinzō Fujita (writer) (November 22, 2003). "In the Knicker of Time!". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 05. Various.
  12. Kusaka, Hidenori; Satoshi Yamamoto (July 28, 2003). "Chapter 183". VS. Torchic. Pokémon Adventures. Volume 15. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149715-2.
  13. Kusaka, Hidenori; Satoshi Yamamoto (October 28, 2003). "Chapter 200". VS. Torkoal. Pokémon Adventures. Volume 16. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149716-0.
  14. Kusaka, Hidenori; Satoshi Yamamoto (June 19, 2004). "Chapter 231". VS. Masquerain. Pokémon Adventures. Volume 18. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149718-7.
  15. Owen Good. "These Are The Least Favorite Pokémons". kotaku.com.au.
  16. "Fall 2007: The Great GameFAQs Character Battle VI". GameFAQs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  17. "Fall 2008: The Great GameFAQs Character Battle VII". GameFAQs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  18. "Mudkip Biography". IGN. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  19. "Pokemon Ruby - GBA - Review | GameZone.com". Gameboy.gamezone.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  20. Kasavin, Greg (March 14, 2003). "Pokemon fans will be in for exactly what they want, while new players now have the perfect opportunity to see what this unusual and likeable series is all about". Gamespot. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  21. "Video Games, Wikis, Cheats, Walkthroughs, Reviews, News & Videos - IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012.
  22. GameSpy: Pok¿mon Ruby/Sapphire - Page 2 Archived September 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  23. "Pokemon Ruby Version - Pokemon of the Day: Swampert (#260)". IGN.
  24. "ComicsAlliance vs. the 156 New Pokemon: The Best, Worst and Weirdest". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012.
  25. Vincent, Brittany (August 9, 2012). "The 50 Greatest Video Game Memes". Complex. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  26. Klink, Madeline LeNore (June 2010). "Glossary". Laugh Out Loud In Real Life: Women's Humor and Fan Identity (PDF) (Master of Science thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. p. 78. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  27. Brophy-Warren, Jamin (July 9, 2008). "Modest Web Site Is Behind a Bevy of Memes". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  28. "I Herd U Liek Mudkips". Know Your Meme. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  29. Staff (April 1, 2008). "News: The April Fool: Mudkip". DeviantArt. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  30. Halupka, Max (2011). "Chapter 3: The Evolution of Anonymous - 3.3 Social Movement". The Evolution of Anonymous as a Political Actor (Bachelor of Arts thesis). Flinders University. p. 46. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
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