As far as cuddly creatures go, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are packed full of adorable favorites—both new and old. Returning are endearing mons like Jigglypuff, Pikachu, and Eevee alongside new ones like Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly. However, one of the most adorable new creatures added in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is not one many players were expecting and ended up surprising fans with its charm. Cetoddle is a new Ice-type added to Gen 9, and it has already captured the hearts of many players with its big eyes, adorable waddle, and curious nature.
Game Freak has always been adept at designing appealing monsters for the Pokemon franchise. Part of what elevated the series to such superstardom was the excellent designs of its creatures that compelled players to want to catch them all. An appealing Pokemon doesn't just need to look good visually, it needs to have thought put into its design inspirations and have great lore connecting it to the wider Pokemon universe. With the attention to detail regarding its lore and evolutionary design changes, Cetoddle is not only one of the cutest Pokemon this generation but also one of the most well-designed.
Cetoddle Bridges a Major Gap in Pokemon's Tree of Evolution
Part of what makes new generations of Pokemon so exciting is seeing the ways new mons are connected with past ones, and the greater Pokemon world as a whole. Cetoddle fulfills these criteria as it appears to fill in a major hole in the Pokemon evolutionary timeline. According to the Pokedex, Cetoddle used to be a sea creature but developed legs and moved onto land a very long time ago. This seems to demonstrate a more scientific case of real-world evolution occurring in the Pokemon world, rather than the in-universe transformations that are referred to as "evolution."
The Pokedex also states that it is closely related to Wailmer, another whale-inspired Pokemon. This relationship implies that Cetoddle and Wailmer once shared a common ancestor and divergent evolution led Cetoddle to develop legs to walk on land, while Wailmer remained in the water. It's evident these two creatures are related based on their spherical shape and similar design inspirations, but this confirmation that they do indeed share some past relationship is the evidence many fans were looking for in trying to uncover the secrets of Pokemon's ancient past.
Cetoddle's Appealing Design Sets it Apart From its Ferocious Evolution
When Cetoddle's evolution, Cetitan, was first revealed in a trailer prior to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's launch, many fans were confused by the design of its oddly-shaped mouth and tooth-like horns. While this monsterous design captures Cetitan's gargantuan nature, creating an appealing pre-evolution seemed like it would be difficult for Game Freak to pull off. The fact that such a cute Pokemon like Cetoddle evolves into a behemoth like Cetitan shows that GameFreak's strong design choices paid off as both forms of this mon are appealing in vastly different ways.
Game Freak managed to make Cetitan's bizarre mouth shape cute on Cetoddle by putting it a singular horn on its head and adding a single tooth to its lower jaw, giving it a more infantile appearance. The proportions of Cetoddle's limbs also give it a cute demeanor as waddles, having yet to grow into its arms or legs. Once it evolves, those limbs become menacing as Cetitan adopts a powerful stance and shows off its broad body. The unique differences between the two stages highlight the need for a middle evolution to demonstrate a transitionary phase, but do a great job separating the two as their own individual forms with traits that make them appealing in their own ways.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.
