The finale! (unless VEWO makes another generation)

Special thanks to the Nexomon Wiki for the images featured in this article.

(Read Part 1 here if you missed out on this series!)

Apparently, there are multiple ember-headed Nexomon to collect in the original game. Ignia - not to be confused with Igneamp - abstracts the inanimate object it branches from (unlike its previously mentioned cousin). Aside from the clever wick hands and cute mischievous face, it’s a character design that still underwhelms me. But it’s at least a step in the right direction.

This character is a huge step up from Igneamp and Ignia. Candrama’s design is perfect for animation. It’s bursting with personality, even from a still image. Its melting wax is cleverly integrated into a long cape, complete with “buttons” from a couple drops. The cooled wax at the bottom adds great variety to the “outfit,” too!

Ratapon has a strong silhouette, with my eye most drawn to the cute notch in its left ear. The bandana is a bit nonsensical when the rest of its design lacks clothes, but it’s a negative I can overlook.

I see the bones of a great idea in Ratatusk, but its execution is noticeably lacking. Thieves, jail cells, and rats are all concepts that blend well together. But again, the literal bandana here is annoying, especially when its belly stripes imply a jailer’s outfit. The “ball and chain” tail is immensely disappointing as a generic sphere on a stick.

I’m guessing that these Nexomon sport one leg not just because it looks cool, but because it’s a reference to weathervanes.

Not all of them obscure or fuse the legs like this, but it’s a variant that immediately popped into my mind.

Chirpoint feels very filler-tier, but originality is on display with Vanarosta. Its comb and wattles fuse into a slicked-back face mask. I like how one flight feather is longer than the other, and how one claw is noticeably larger and sharper. Minor “big/little/big” alterations like these create satisfying points of interest in characters.

Credit goes to this Nexomon for its truly alien appearance. Just what is it? This bewilderment works to Saxia’s advantage, but also exposes its shortcomings.

The only context the Nexomon wiki lists is that Saxia is Plant-type. It could be anything from a sentient flower monster to a four-armed insect. With no animations for me to reference, I can’t tell if Saxia walks on its four mysterious cylinders, or if those are frills to a “dress” and it floats in the air.

With substantial information, I could give Saxia a thumbs up. Until I find it, however, it remains a “meh” design for me.

There’s no mistaking the cordycep emerging from this ant’s forehead. Even during the first game, Nexomon’s art department was creating stellar bug caricatures.

While I prefer Cordyant’s colors, Zombyant deserves recognition for its take on the fungal transformation. There’s now a face on the cordycep itself! The fuzzy collar further drives home how the fungus has exploded out of its host. There are even little X’s in Zombyant’s (as well as Cordyant’s) eyes!

As the lead antagonist of Nexomon and legend spoken of in Extinction, Omicron is… dreadful, to put it bluntly.

This all-powerful wolf - the father and king of all Nexomon - doesn’t have the visual punch to match his royal title. He could comfortably stand in as a run of the mill early-game monster. I’d rather Nara (seen in the screenshot above) be the cover Legendary.

Omnicron is so boring, that a chunk of his wiki entry simply lists off similar body parts found on Pokémon.

This trivia doesn’t feel like a discussion about Omnicron’s inspirations so much as it reads as a list of what he “plagiarizes.” When I showed Dreddiful a few articles ago, I wrote about how it’s “Dusclops with a unique twist.” Omnicron seems to be “blue wolf with the ribbons of Suicune and a bushy tail like Zoroark.”

What I’m trying to say is: Omnicron is very boring and I don’t like it.

There’s little I can say about this group of Nexomon aside from, “I think they look nice!” More noteworthy is an Easter egg I caught while building these articles.

When I played Extinction, I casually investigated a side quest in which cloned Nexomon escaped into the wild. I figured the plot was lampooning fossil Pokémon and the “dangers of science” as detailed in Jurassic Park. Little did I know, these cloned monsters are meta references for veteran players.

One of the clones is known as Florozard. It’s an imperfect, but unmistakable reflection of Corozard. The Nexomon developers wrote an in-universe explanation for the facelifts they gave to some old designs. My mind was blown at this revelation. This is above and beyond what I was expecting!

There are elements of Corozard that I like more than Florozard, and vice versa. Corozard’s proportions are more interesting with its shorter legs, but Florozard’s “cape” feels naturally integrated into its design. Regardless of my preferences, they’re both solid designs. I have a painfully short explanation for why I like these Nexomon, so I’m happy to have discovered substantial content about them.

While I’m on the topic, I’ll bring up the clone to a Nexomon I spoke of earlier - Blizstrong.

Admittedly, this is a superior improvement to Blizloo’s design. However, I still rank Blizoo higher. Remember, I’m an ironic fan of its design, so I find the bootleg-tier clunkiness part of the charm.

Durtworm is too cute for its own good. It’s a wriggly worm with the same innocent charm as a kitten. The stubby legs and bumps (hairs?) along its body add a lot of flair to an otherwise plain tube of a creature.

It took a while, but Dethwurm grew on me as an equally great character. It looks stylish with its black-and-yellow warning stripes. The sharp zigzag mouth adds a layer of “coolness.”

Thanks to a wiki contributor, I’ve learned that Dethwurm’s bumps exist for a reason: they’re referencing the Mongolian Death Worm. This cryptid is believed to have acid-filled blisters that bubble along its skin. This ties back into Dethwurm’s black and yellow color scheme (and punny name)!

It can’t be overstated how impressive Nexomon’s artists are with bug characters. Honbuzz integrates hexagonal honeycomb shapes, with even its wings as hexagons! I also like how its abdomen is seemingly translucent, revealing the nectar it’s storing.

Emperabee ramps up the simple concepts to even greater degrees. The honeycomb dress complete with a fuzzy ruff is fantastic. My favorite element is the hexagon crown seamlessly blended into Her Highness’s insectoid design.

I mainly want to showcase Excavat, as a landmine-mole is a fantastic idea. The design is so solid, that it could easily fit in as one of Dr. Eggman’s Badniks (that’s not the first time I’ve referenced his robots, either). Molobomb feels more like a “filler” design in comparison, so it’s great to see its evolution play with its strengths as an “excavating” mole.

With the unforgiving environments that real-world flamingoes thrive in, making them a fire-type monster is a no-brainer. I can’t remember seeing another flamingo mascot before Flaminglo, so I was flooded with excitement at this adorable caricature. I love the little fire crest and glitzy strip of fire around its eye. Yet another amazing bird Nexomon was robbed from a cameo in Extinction.

I feel that Flaringo could use minor refinements. Personally, I’d reshape the flame at its eye, recycle Flaminglo’s fire-shaped crest, and invoke a flamingo-phoenix hybrid with wings made of pure fire. At the end of the day, these are all nitpicks and aren’t required for me to enjoy Flaringo as it stands.

Cradling this Plant-type bird are the leaves that will unfurl as it grows. It’s a great spin on the frequent use of eggshells as hats or “diapers” on baby bird characters.

Flousper hits all the perfect notes for an appealing bird design in my eyes. It has a striking variety to its proportions (e.g. a sturdy chest tapering to small legs, then to larger feet). I love the way its leaf crest curls at the end. Its fanciful tail is the perfect balance of condensed and minimal details. I even appreciate the gaudiness of its bright yellow and pink colors. They could be interpreted as a warning that it’s poisonous, or to attract a mate (maybe even its favorite bugs)!

Floreus is decent, but it doesn’t invoke the same excitement in me. I feel its tail is too cluttered with minor details. While I don’t mind the crown-leaf-crest thing, it’s just not the same as that curly leaf crest on Flousper.

One of Nexomon’s takes on food-based characters is the adorable Cotondee and its smug evolutions. I like how their legs represent cotton candy sticks, and how Cotondee dons a fluffy tuxedo - complete with bowtie - as it grows. I prefer the deeper pastels on Taffaca over Froppe’s muted ones, but they’re not a deal breaker for me.

Here are some Doduo “clones” that don’t feel like bootlegs! Their jagged bodies take clear inspiration from the Pokémon, but still have unique identities. For these Nexomon, their “fuzzy” puffs are actually sharp rocks, tying into their elemental types.

I feel that each evolution offers just the right balance between gradual and significant evolutionary leaps. I was originally undecided with Ostridge’s broadsword-sized tail feathers, but I’ve since found charm in their goofiness.

An overall great personified pun of mice, Kiklick is only held back by its oversized Frankenstein’s monster screws. I think they should either be inset as Kiklick’s cheeks, or as a replacement for the featureless circle on its hind leg.

I’ve seen very few character designs experiment with tropes associated with harpies, so Parrpy is an adorable surprise. Its bird components almost look like a costume - interpreting “bird woman” literally.

Without proper context, I can only muse over the explanation behind Perleo’s shell. Maybe it’s mimicking a menacing fish to scare off predators. Or perhaps its true body is housed in a piece of ancient technology!

Even without official lore, I think Nexomon’s artists managed to surpass their competition, namely Clamperl from Pokémon’s third generation.

The distribution of spikes on these Nexomon are greatly improved from the visual disasters seen on others. I love the splash of color of Prismazor’s back spines against its earthen brown body. Each Nexomon’s clusters of zigzag scales are somewhat hard to see on my computer monitor, but they provide subtle textures to balance out their compositions.

Have I mentioned just how amazing Nexomon’s bug artists are?!

Silkmaid may not look like much, but it ensures Weabride swings in with a home run design. Weabride’s silk lattice wings are brilliant and pair well with its elegant “outfit.” The color choices are simply fantastic. Why is this gorgeous silk moth buried in a single Nexomon game? It should be a staple in the character roster!

The more I stare at it, the more I love this little mushroom goof. It has a “cutesy Halloween” appeal with its sunken eyes and squiggly mouth that - with the darker green shading above - looks somewhat like a skull. The (presumably toxic) bubbles atop its head give Toxipore a great silhouette.