Although a lot of Pokémon look kind of weird and are totally unique and made up for the series, there are quite a few of them that are actually inspired by things that exist in the real world. There are Pokémon that were inspired by plants, animals, insects, and even mythical creatures.
Seeing the real-life inspirations for these Pokémon will make you look at the world around you and at the Pokémon you keep in your party in a completely different way, trust us. There are a lot of Pokémon that are completely unique, but some of them can actually be found in the real world. Unfortunately, the versions in the Pokémon world are still so much cooler with all their moves and attacks.
To see 10 Pokémon that were inspired by real-life things, keep reading!
10 Victreebell Is A Pitcher Plant
A pitcher plant is the name of a group of different carnivorous plants that are native to various parts of the US. They have a long, open area that is filled with a substance that helps them to feed on their prey that falls down into the "mouth" of the plant.
Does the pitcher plant look familiar? It should! The pitcher plant inspired Victreebell, a Pokémon that was introduced in the first generation of the franchise. Although this upside down plant with a huge mouth on top may look strange, knowing that it's inspired by a real-life plant makes it pretty cool.
9 Mudkip Is An Axolotl
Mudkip is one of the three starter Pokémon that was introduced in Generation III of the Pokémon franchise. If you're someone that always goes for the Water-type Pokémon when you're picking a starter, then you likely picked Mudkip before you went out on your journey in the Hoenn region.
But, how many people knew that Mudkip is much more than a starter Pokémon? Mudkip was inspired by a real life animal known as an axolotl. An axolotl is an amphibian that is only native to two different lakes in Mexico. Because of the urbanization of this area of Mexico, axolotls in the wild almost went extinct once!
8 Luvdisc Is A Kissing Gourami
Luvdisc is a Pokémon that was introduced in Generation II of the Pokémon franchise and does not evolve to or from any other Pokémon. This Pokémon is a heart-shaped fish that can be spotted in the clear ocean waters of the Pokémon world.
Even though Luvdisc looks completely unique and nothing like a lot of the real-world fish that we're familiar with, it was actually inspired by the kissing gourami! The kissing gourami is a fish with a similarly pale pink color that is known for having a puckered up mouth. That's where it got its name!
7 Moltres Is A Phoenix
Each new generation of Pokémon comes with a brand new set of creatures. And among them, there's always at least two Legendary Pokémon that act as the mascots of the new games. Moltres is one of the three Legendary Birds of the Kanto region and was introduced in the first generation of the game.
On top of being one of the Legendary Pokémon from the first generation of the Pokémon franchise, this creature is based on a mythical creature, not a real animal like some other Pokémon. This Fire-type bird is based on the phoenix, a creature from ancient Greek mythology. A phoenix is a bird that is known for being born from the ashes of another phoenix.
6 Vileplume Is A Corpse Lily (Rafflesia Arnoldii)
The rafflesia arnoldii, also known as "the corpse lily" to some, is a really unique flower. This flower is native to a specific area of Indonesia and is known for being one of the largest flowers in the world. On top of its massive size, this flower is known for producing a disgusting smell, similar to that of rotting flesh. That's where it got its name!
Vileplume is a dual-type Grass/Poison Pokémon that was introduced in the first generation of the Pokémon franchise. This Pokeémon was inspired by the corpse lily and it's not hard to see where the inspiration came from. The top of this Pokémon looks just like this flower!
5 Magikarp Is A Yelloweye Rockfish
Magikarp is one of the Pokémon that was introduced in the first generation of the franchise. Magikarp itself is actually not that popular of a Pokémon because of the fact that it's really not all that powerful or impressive. But, when it evolves up into Gyarados, it becomes a much better Pokémon, so many trainers try to find one to keep in their party.
Even though Magikarp has "carp" in its name and may look similar to a simple goldfish or koi fish, this Pokémon is actually heavily inspired by a different real-world fish. This Pokémon looks just like the yelloweye rockfish. This fish can live to be over 100 years old!
4 Ninetails Is A Kitsune
Considering the fact that the Pokémon franchise got its start in Japan, it should come as no surprise to anyone that there are quite a few different Pokemon that are inspired by Japanese mythology. One of them is a Pokémon that took inspiration from the kitsune. A kitsune is a mythical fox that is said to have nine tails and be a total trickster.
Does a nine-tailed fox sound familiar? It should considering there's actually a Pokémon called Ninetails. Ninetails was introduced in the first generation of the Pokémon franchise and looks really similar to a lot of traditional Japanese art of kitsunes.
3 Caterpie Is An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
The real-life inspiration for Caterpie is pretty obvious, right? While many Pokémon look like strange creatures that we've never seen before, Caterpie is definitely not one of them. Caterpie is obviously a caterpillar and looks just like one that we might see in our garden or yard during the spring. But how many people knew that Caterpie was inspired by a specific caterpillar?
Caterpie was inspired by the eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillar. It's found on the east coast of the US and looks exactly like a certain Pokémon. It has the same green body, black and yellow eyes, and the same long piece sticking off of the front of its head.
2 Stunfisk Is A Stargazer
Stunfisk is a Pokémon that was introduced in Generation V of the Pokémon franchise. In most regions, Stunfisk is a dual-type Ground/Electric Pokémon, but it's like many other Pokémon that has a different regional type in the Galar region. In the Galar region, this Pokémon is a Ground/Steel Pokémon.
Stunfisk was inspired by a family of different fish known as stargazers. Stargazers are fish that get their name from the fact that their eyes are on the top of their heads, causing them to always be looking up. Stargazers bury themselves in the sand and then use their upward-facing mouths and eyes to track their prey and eat them without being seen.
1 Mawile Is A Futakuchi-onna
Mawile is another Pokémon that was inspired by a mythological creature from Japanese folklore. Mawile is a Pokémon that was introduced in Generation III and looks semi-human with two long, black pieces that hang down by its head and a large mouth on the back of its head.
This Pokémon was inspired by the Japanese myth Futakuchi-onna. In Japanese mythology, this is a woman who has been too strict about what she eats. This intense restriction on the food she consumes causes another mouth to grow on the back of her head. Her long, black hair and the mouth on the back of the Futakuchi-onna definitely make it easy to see how this character inspired Mawile.