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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 Dipplin.
In the Ancient Greek myth of the 12 Labours of Heracles, more commonly named in the Roman style Hercules, one of the most challenging labours was the slaying of the Hydra, a multi-headed dragon which grew a new head each time one was severed. Heracles bested it with a mix of brains and brawn, severing each head and then having his nephew cauterize the wounds before a new head could be born.
Japanese mythology also has a many-headed dragon, the eight-headed monstrosity Orochi that terrorized the Kingdom. This beast was slain by Orochi, the thunder god, but we’ll go into that in more detail on an upcoming Generation 5 monster. Both of these legends could be connected by the theoretical Proto-Indo-European culture which is believed to have been a source for myths across Europe and Asia, and beyond. A storm god slaying a serpent is ubiquitous as far as Japan in the East, the Norse stories of Thor and the earliest Hebrew myths.
Speaking of the Hebrew myths, a few years ago I talked about Applin and its evolutions; an apple with its own built-in serpent to tempt us. In Galar, that Pokémon already had two evolutions with a tart apple or a sweet apple. In Kitakami, an apple-rich region celebrating a summer festival in the mountains of Japan, a new evolution is available.
By using a syrupy apple, Applin can evolve into Dipplin. Dipplin looks more like Applin than either of the previously existing evolutions, with the addition of a big green horn that acts like the stick on a toffee apple, and a coat of sticky syrup.
While Flapple and Appletun were physical and special attackers, Dipplin is a more defensive Pokémon.
Scarlet
Dipplin is two creatures in one Pokémon. Its evolution was triggered by a special apple grown only in one place.
I was initially excited that the Kitakami region was based on the part of Japan where I actually live, Nagano. Nagano is mountainous and famous for apples, and Kitakami does look similar. However, further North is the region of Aomori, where there are festivals with floats, there are also apples, and there’s even an actual place called Kitakami nearby. It was all-but confirmed which region the game was actually based on when the Teal Mask DLC was advertised with a festival float in Aomori.
Pokémon Violet also refers to those mysterious “two creatures in one Pokemon”.
Violet
The head sticking out belongs to the fore-wyrm, while the tail belongs to the core-wyrm. The two share one apple and help each other out.
None of the previous members of the Applin family mention additional wyrms like this. On top of that, Dipplin could also hold an eviolite when it first appeared, an item which boosts the power of unevolved Pokémon.
Sure enough, in the Indigo Disk’s Blueberry Academy, we discovered that a Dipplin that levels up while knowing the move Dragon Cheer can evolve one more time into Hydrapple.
Though this is now a five Pokémon family, unlike the Eevees they all share the same typing, in Grass and Dragon. Perhaps the closest analogy is Tyrogue and its various evolutions.
Hydrapple is the only second-stage evolution, and it features multiple dragons emerging from the apple core. The English name Hydrapple refers to the Hydra of Greek Myth, while the Japanese name Kamitsuorochi combines Nectar with Orochi, the Japanese many-headed dragon.
Scarlet
Seven syrpents live inside an apple made of syrup. The syrpent in the center is the commander.
The Pokémon can make use of these many heads with the special move Fickle Beam, an 80 damage dragon attack with a 30% chance to double in attack when all the heads decide to get involved.
Violet
These capricious syrpents have banded together. On the rare occasion that their moods align, their true power is unleashed.
With this special move, and even more bulk that Dipplin, Hydrapple can use a similar tactic to Ting Lu, taking hits to give it the chance to unleash this rare, powerful move, with the added bonus of doing some damage even when its not doing the maximum amount.
Candy apples were originally made in New Jersey, so its appropriate that this final evolution is found at a Unovan Academy. Today they’re eaten at festivals across the world, just as legends of Serpent-slayings were found across the world in ancient times.
Music for Luke Loves Pokémon is composed by Jonathan Cromie. Artwork for the show is by Katie Groves. Writing, Producing and Editing is by me, Luke Summerhayes. Funding is provided by my lovely listeners. If you’d like to join them, to help keep the show online and find other podcasts by me and my pals, head over to Patreon.com/PodcastioPodcastius.
Coming up are Polcheageist and Okidogi, so if you thoughts about those or any other monsters, hit me up with a DM @LukeLovesPKMN or an email to LukeLovesPKMN@Gmail.com. And of course, I’d love if you could leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Even if you don’t feel like doing any of that, thank you so much just for listening.
I love Dipplin. And remember. I love you too.