Let's Talk About Pokemon - Psyduck and Golduck

054 - Psyduck

It's funny Psyduck winds up being next to Meowth in Pokedex order, just because it feels like it's in a similar boat where it's a goofy, oddball Pokemon with plenty of personality that particularly became known for one character in the anime in particular. Even if said Psyduck didn't have the same longevity, it feels like Psyduck as a creature in general, has kinda managed to stay afloat among Gen 1's more silly Pokemon. At least hanging on to enough clout to be the star Pokemon of a Netflix show, even.

Conceptually, though, Psyduck is a bit tricky. See, it sure had DUCK in the name, but if you pay a little closer attention to Psyduck as a whole, it's not QUITE a duck, actually! If you take the webbed-clawed arms, being a flightless creature (ergo, pure Water type instead of being Water/Flying), and the more squat, wide shape of its bill, Psyduck moreso fits the description of a platypus!

But the "Psy" part of its name is also funny. Psyduck is a Pokemon that suffers from chronic and intense headaches, but at the same time, said headaches seem to also be the source of its psychic abilities, Psyduck having access to plenty a Psychic-type attacks, all without being Psychic type itself, oddly enough. Widely, this has almost been chalked up to being a mistake, that it was always meant to be Water/Psychic type and was simply never fixed because whatever gets written into a Pokemon's identity is what it gets stuck with.

But honestly, I don't quite buy that. Cause there does actually seem to be a bit of intentionality behind making Psyduck pure Water type. There's plenty of non-Psychic type Pokemon out there capable of using Psychic moves, of course, but Psyduck in particular is consistently portrayed as aloof, doofy, but nonetheless having intensely heightened Psychic abilities, more than your average non-psychic type. But because Psyduck isn't "genetically" Psychic type, tapping into said abilities ends up causing it suffering. Or at least that's my read on it.

055 - Golduck

Golduck is almost a Persian situation all over again, and personally I do like Psyduck more, just conceptually, but Golduck at least has its merits that have it stand on its own, at least. Even if I feel like it loses a bit of personality by evolving. Golduck turns blue, but doubles down on being a duck-esque creature with longer limbs, webbier, clawier arms, and a spikier head. And its general vibe almost feels like its bridging a platypus into becoming a bit of a kappa creature, another duck-faced creature, just this time from folklore.

Though, general vibes seem to be where the kappa similarities end, as there's no man-drowning going on with Golduck, not even in any of those creepy implications Pokemon likes to stick in Pokedex entries. Golduck has no shell, nor a depression in its head that retains water. But what is on its head is a red gemstone... wow it really is like Persian. But this time it's more using a forehead-gemstone as a bit of "third eye" imagery, as it seems to be where it channels its psychic powers through, now. It's done away with its headaches and is now a much more powerful user of psychic abilities! Though still not psychic type itself. It's at the very least, unique among weird, waterfowl or waterfowl-adjacent things!

Personal Score: 7.5/10

< Prev < | Archive | > Next >