Pokemon: How Scarlet and Violet Break the Fire Pokemon Zodiac Theory

gamerant.com:

The announcement of the ninth generation of Pokemon games, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, came as a surprise to many. The hope for a new generation of games was there, but it didn’t seem likely that the Pokemon Presents for Pokemon Day would include an announcement for an entirely new generation. Instead, many fans likely expected DLC for Pokemon Legends: Arceus and smaller announcements about future support rather than the major announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releasing later in 2022.

The news is welcome, though, as fans got to see stunning visuals of the region that Gen 9 will be using as well as the reveal of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s starters. The Water, Grass, and Fire-type trio continues a staple of thePokemon franchise’s starters but Fuecoco, the new Fire-type starter, does break away from the zodiac fan theory that many Pokemon players have come to accept. This theory is founded on Pokemon’s Fire-type starters each having a corresponding figure in the Chinese Zodiac, and up until the reveal of Fuecoco, it’s felt like a feasible explanation of their designs.

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While some liberties have been taken in making Charmander and Cyndaquil adhere to the zodiac theory before the reveal of Fuecoco, no Fire-type starter Pokemon has strayed too far from what has been proposed. Each generation’s starter has had an inspiration that can be compared to one of the different characters in the Chinese zodiac with relative ease. This has been consistent since Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire’s Torchic evolutionary line, which fit the rooster incredibly well. The following games for Gen 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 all required minimal explanation for how their Fire-type