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A weekly Pokédex Podcast from Bald Man in Japan Luke Summerhayes. A different Pokémon family every week.
I’m Luke Summerhayes, and I love Ferroseed.
When we imagine historical weaponry, it is common to romanticize the sword, whether it is a thin rapier in the hands of a courtly European gentleman or the cutting blade of a samurai’s katana. After that, there is some elegance afforded to spears and long weapons, while battle axes and warhammers are associated with a barbarian strength.
Often forgotten are maces and flails, spiky metal balls at the end of a stick or chain designed to bludgeon through armour. This same shape is seen surprisingly often in the plant world, in painful and threatening conkers and durians, or burdocks that stick to one’s clothes.
Ferroseed is a grass and steel type Pokémon, an egg-shaped fellow with eyes and spikes that combines these plants and weapons. Unlike either of those, though, it can shoot its spikes out all around it.
Black
When threatened, it attacks by shooting a barrage of spikes, which gives it a chance to escape by rolling away.
The name Ferroseed takes ferrous, which means a metal containing iron, and seed, referring to the spiky seed pods which fall from conker trees or contain the flesh of the durian fruit.
White
They stick their spikes into cave walls and absorb the minerals they find in the rock.
Black 2
It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.
White 2
The Japanese name, Teseed, is also a combination of tetsu, Japanese for Iron, and the English word seed.
Shield
Mossy caves are their preferred dwellings. Enzymes contained in mosses help Ferroseed's spikes grow big and strong.
There are many mineral which, by absorbing iron, seem to grow and change color in a very plantlike manner, making the combination of plant and iron growth here make a strange sense.
Sword
It defends itself by launching spikes, but its aim isn't very good at first. Only after a lot of practice will it improve.
And improve it does. Ferroseed is sturdy as it is, but at level forty it can becom far more intimidating when it evolves into Ferrothorn.
Ferrothorn has one central fruit with three spiky limbs which it can swing on vines like a medieval flail.
Black
It fights by swinging around its three spiky feelers. A hit from these steel spikes can reduce a boulder to rubble.
Shield
Its spikes are harder than steel. This Pokémon crawls across rock walls by stabbing the spikes on its feelers into the stone.
Still, this is a plant like a conker, and it mostly stays still and attacks by dropping from above.
Sword
This Pokémon scrapes its spikes across rocks, and then uses the tips of its feelers to absorb the nutrients it finds within the stone.
White
They attach themselves to cave ceilings, firing steel spikes at targets passing beneath them.
The name Ferrothorn takes the previous Pokémon’s name and incorporates the word thorn, further emphasizing the spiky nature. The Japanese name, Nutrei, combines the English word nut with the Japanese word for a dumbbell, arei.
Black 2
By swinging around its three spiky feelers and shooting spikes, it can obliterate an opponent.
White 2
This Pokémon really can obliterate opponents. Since its introduction in the fifth generation, it has used its strong defensive typing, handy array of hazrd-setting moves like spikes, and pretty good attack to stand firm and inflict havok in one-on-one battles. Its even had some relevance in two-on-two battling, a rarity for Pokémon which do well out of forcing opponents to shift.
Growing up in rural England, I would collect conkers and swing them against my friends’ conkers in the grand boyhood tradition. If you wanted the best conkers, you had to get in there early and risk a spiky shell falling on your head. If we’d had metallic ones that could shoot their spikes . . . maybe very few children would reach adulthood in the British countryside.
Original music for Luke Loves Pokémon is by Jonathan Cromie. Artwork is by Katie Groves. Funding is provided by listeners at Patreon.com/PodcastioPodcastius. For just a dollar a month, supporters can listen to episodes a week early and also help cover hosting and fees, making it possible for me to keep making episodes every week.
I love hearing from listeners! Get in touch about upcoming Pokémon on twitter or facebook at LukeLovesPKMN. Drop a comment if you’re watching the video, or a review on apple podcasts or spotify. Coming up are Klink and Tynamo, so please get in touch about those or any other monsters.
Even if you don’t feel like doing any of that, thank you so much just for listening.
I love Ferroseed. And remember, I love you too.