Ekans Family
Ekans finally breaks up the swarm of brown Pokémon with a splash of vivid purple!
In the world of Pokémon, purple is commonly used to represent anything poisonous, such as the bubbles that appear from Toxic or Sludge Bomb. For this reason, Ekans’ coloration suits perfectly with its Poison typing.
Overall, Ekans isn’t much more than an ordinary snake. However, it remains an entertaining concept by being a combination of multiple snakes. It has the tail of a rattlesnake, the toothless mouth of an egg-eating snake, and the ability to learn Wrap to squeeze prey like a constrictor.
Speaking of Ekans’ mouth, it’s my favorite part of its design. It looks so dorky and adorable with its jaw being unhinged so far. I mean, just look at how silly egg-eating snakes are when trying to swallow their meals whole:
Not only that, but I find it hilarious that Ekans has a flat, round tongue instead of the traditional forked shape. The Pokédex details that it still flicks that chubby thing like a real snake’s. I can’t help but imagine how silly that must look when it’s trying to catch the scent of its prey.
Simple, thin lines act as stripes and break Ekans’ body up into segments. They give variation to its design without calling attention to themselves. Even its pupil is represented by a single stroke! I’m surprised at how effective that touch is!
While not the most unique design under the sun, Ekans’ design is still very solid!
Thumbs Up!
Also: I want to take a moment to admire Ekans’ original Red/Green sprite:
“HONK!”
And yes, I am aware of the “Snake” and “Kobra” backwards thing. I don’t have anything to add to that fact, though.
Arbok continues the simplistic snake theme, this time as a cobra. The thin line placement also carries over from Ekans. Once again, it’s a small feature that adds that much more flair to its design.
It’s a shame Ekans’ eyes didn’t transfer as well. Instead, Arbok has those “scary” triangle eyes. Then again, the eyes might be that way so they don’t distract from Arbok’s main feature: the giant, abstract “face” on its belly. It uses these markings to intimidate and paralyze an enemy in fear.
This makes for an interesting idea when considering Arbok may be based off of the mythical basilisk. According to legend, the basilisk would kill people just by staring at them. But with Arbok, it utilizes these powers with its false markings! I love that Arbok creates a new spin on an old legend!
The Pokédex details that Arbok’s belly patterns vary depending on where it lives. You can see this concept in action in the old Ken Sugimori artwork, as well as Arbok’s sprite for Gold, Silver, and Crystal:
Even illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita took this concept to heart for their TCG artwork!
I would be on board for this concept to be revived in the newer Pokémon games. After all, there are a few Pokémon that are already doing this: Shellos, Flabebe, and Minior, just to name a few. You can catch them with different patterns or colors, so why not do the same for Arbok?
Thumbs Up!
Arbok may be a simple character, but it makes up for it with an excellent concept.
On a final note, it would be remiss of me not to mention Arbok’s best-known role: being the showcase of Pokemon Adventure’s underlying dark and gritty themes:
Boy, did that scene terrify and confuse me as a child.
