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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 Drampa.
Although several Pokemon are based on yokai or Japanese myths, one of the main inspirations was the world of Dragon Quest and other JRPGs, which in turn were all inspired by tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, and they were inspired by European fantasy a la JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
This means that most of the dragons are in the Western mold. Big, leathery wings, breathing fire, that kind of thing. Even those which do take a little more inspiration from Asian dragon imagery are a complex amalgam of various other myths, like Rayquaza, or go on to evolve into more western dragons, like Dragonite.
Drampa is an unapologetic, bearded, serpentine Normal and Dragon type Chinese dragon. It has the appearance of a slightly dopey, lovable old sage, and a mostly gentle demeanor.
Moon
This Pokémon is friendly to people and loves children most of all. It comes from deep in the mountains to play with children it likes in town.
Ultra Moon
It appears in towns and plays with the children. Drampa will protect kids when they're in danger, so their moms don't have to worry.
That said, Dragons are powerful beings in all cultures- perhaps more so in the East than the West, and Drampa is not to be messed with.
Shield
Drampa is a kind and friendly Pokémon—up until it's angered. When that happens, it stirs up a gale and flattens everything around.
Ultra Sun
If a child it has made friends with is bullied, Drampa will find the bully's house and burn it to the ground.
If Drampa was angry with you, you’d have reason to panic. It has a nicely high attack stat, and with the ability Beserk it can be boosted even higher if Drampa is knocked below half health. Unfortunately, it lacks in bulk and defensive stats, so this is a dangerous play best left to lower competitive tiers.
The name Drampa combines Dragon with Grampa. Its old man face is reminiscent of the Zhulong of Chinese myth, a dragon with an old man’s face which was said to control night and day with the opening and closing of its eyes, and the winds with its breath. The Japanese name for Drampa is even Jijilong, with Jiji being a Japanese equivalent to gramps, and long being Chinese for dragon.
This gentle old wind dragon could perhaps be a precursor to some kind of poweful storm dragon. With Pokemon Legends Z-A, Mega Drampa was introduced. Most of the Z-A megas have now appeared in Champions, with traditional stats and abilities, so the next big mega round-up episode is looking closer than ever!
Music for Luke Loves Pokemon was composed by Jonathan Cromie. Artwork for the show is by Katie Groves. Funding is by supporters at patreon.com/podcastiopodcastius.
I love hearing from listeners! Get in touch on youtube, social media or email and let me know about your favorite Pokemon. Coming up next are Dhelmise and Jangmo-o, so let me know your thoughts about those or any other monsters.
Even if you don’t feel like doing any of that, thank you so much for listening.
I love Drampa. And remember, I love you too.