Mudkip
Mudkip is a character of the Pokémon anime and video game series. 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.[1] 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. Mudkip have appeared on the boxart for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pokémon Channel, and Pokémon Dash.
Characteristics
changeThey 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.[2] While in the water, they use the orange, spiky gills on their cheeks to breathe while using their large tail fin to propel themselves.[3][4] They are extremely strong, despite their small bodies; they are able to lift or crush large boulders.[3][4][5] When sleeping, they bury themselves within the soil at the edge of the water.[5] 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.
Appearances
changeIn the video games
changeMudkip is one of the three starter pokemon, along with Treeko and Torchic, in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Mudkip undergo evolution, a metamorphic change within a Pokémon caused by gaining experience in battle and growing up in terms of levels, in which they can evolve into Marshtomp, and again into Swampert. They are not available in later games Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum except through trade.
Mudkip have made cameo appearances in the Game Boy Advance game Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (a sequel of the Game Boy Color game Pokémon Pinball); they have also starred in the Nintendo GameCube games Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Colosseum, and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. They are featured in Nintendo DS games Pokémon Dash,[6] Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Pokémon Trozei,[7] as well as being featured on the boxart for many of these. Mudkip appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a trophy that can be obtained through special means.
In the anime
changeIn the Pokémon anime, Brock, a Pokémon breeder and former Gym leader, obtains a Mudkip on Dewford Island. As Ash Ketchum and his companions climb a waterfall, they come across a group of young Mudkip. Brock rescues one of the Mudkip from being washed away in a stream. Brock's Lotad and Mudkip work together to defeat Team Rocket, at which point the Mudkip decides to join Brock's team.[8] Mudkip's primary role is to assist Brock during water related situations, such as searching for objects in the ocean, such as an Illumise[9] and a pearl belonging to a Spoink.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]
In the manga
changeIn the manga Pokémon Adventures during the arc based off of 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 dissaponted 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.[13] Zuzu evolved into a Marshtomp unexpectedly while Ruby was in Slateport City,[14] and again into a Swampert, while training near Fortree City.[15]
In the Trading Card Game
changeIn the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Mudkip is a Water-type Basic Pokémon, just like its video game counterparts. As a Basic Pokémon, it can be played in a battle, as the competitions of the card game are called, without the use of a special card. If the player has a Marshtomp card in their hand, they can play it on top of the Mudkip card, which is the card game's equivalent of evolving. Mudkip has appeared in the sets EX Ruby & Sapphire, EX Dragon, and EX Emerald. It also appears in EX Team Rocket Returns, but as "Mudkip Star". This card is different to the other Mudkip cards, because it is the rarest in the set.
In pop culture
changeMudkip is the inspiration for an internet meme called "so I herd u like mudkips". Originating on another website, members of 4chan adopted it as an in-joke. Since then, the meme has grown steadily, now including thousands of Youtube videos in tribute and has been named by the Wall Street Journal as one of 4Chan's "Greatest Hits".[16] On April 1, 2008, DeviantART played an April Fool's Day joke on its members, changing all their users avatars to images of Mudkip.[17]
GameFAQs's sixth and seventh annual character battles featured Mudkip, with him losing in round one against Luigi and Mega Man X respectively.[18][19]
References
change- ↑ MacDonald, Mark; Brokaw, Brian; Arnold; J. Douglas; Elies, Mark. Pokémon Trainer's Guide. Sandwich Islands Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9. (pg 192–195)
- ↑ Pokédex: 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. Game Freak (2003-03-17). Pokémon Ruby. Vol. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pokédex: 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. Game Freak (2003-03-17). Pokémon Sapphire. Vol. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pokédex: Its large tail fin propels it through water with powerful acceleration. It is strong in spite of its size. Game Freak (2004-09-09). Pokémon FireRed. Vol. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Pokédex: 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. Game Freak (2005-05-01). Pokémon Emerald. Vol. Game Boy Advance. Nintendo.
- ↑ "Pokémon Dash review" Ign.com. URL accessed June 4 2006.
- ↑ "Pokémon Link Review". Official Nintendo Magazine (3): 80–81. May 2006. 46390444.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ↑ Junki Takegami (writer) (March 13, 2004). "A Mudkip Mission". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 25. Various.
- ↑ Hideki Sonoda (writer) (October 16, 2004). "Love at First Flight". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 42. Various.
- ↑ Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (writer) (May 21, 2005). "Pearls are a Spoink's Best Friend". Pokémon. Season Advanced Challenge. Episode 79. Various.
- ↑ Shinzō Fujita (writer) (September 16, 2006). "A Chip Off the Old Brock". Pokémon. Season Battle Frontier. Episode 79. Various.
- ↑ Shinzō Fujita (writer) (November 22, 2003). "In the Knicker of Time!". Pokémon. Season Advanced. Episode 05. Various.
- ↑ Kusaka, Hidenori (July 28, 2003). "Chapter 183". VS. Torchic. Pokémon Adventures. Vol. 15. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149715-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ↑ Kusaka, Hidenori (October 28, 2003). "Chapter 200". VS. Torkoal. Pokémon Adventures. Vol. 16. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149716-0.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ↑ Kusaka, Hidenori (June 19, 2004). "Chapter 231". VS. Masquerain. Pokémon Adventures. Vol. 18. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN 4-09-149718-7.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ↑ Brophy-Warren, Jamin (2008-07-09). "Modest Web Site Is Behind a Bevy of Memes". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
- ↑ Staff (2008-04-01). "News: The April Fool: Mudkip". DeviantArt. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
- ↑ "Fall 2007: The Great GameFAQs Character Battle VI". GameFAQs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
- ↑ "Fall 2008: The Great GameFAQs Character Battle VII". GameFAQs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2009.