This week is a special double feature of Character Critiques, starring the Nidorans! First up is the female’s family!

In the original Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow games, there was no way to tell a Pokémon’s gender. Until the Daycare Center and breeding was possible in Johto, the Nidorans were the only Pokémon listed as definite “Male” or “Female.”

This Nidoran definitely looks like a rodent, but it’s hard to tell what kind. Her mouth and bunny-like ears nod to the inspiration behind her design. Other than that, Nidoran is a monster all of her own. I give kudos to character designs that stand as their own fantasy species!

Even more, Nidoran is a poisonous rodent! The Pokédex details that her tiny barbs ooze toxins when threatened. The muted and gentle blue hues of Nidoran’s body are great at hiding this fact.

When I first played Red Version in the 90’s, I became leery of Nidoran once my Bug Pokémon crumbled under her dangerous Poison Sting. At the time, I was completely naive of her pure Poison typing. Of course, it wasn’t until after I caught one that I saw the connection. Another round of applause for the layer of subtlety to Nidoran’s design!

The simplistic whiskers first seen on Rattata make a return on Nidoran, and I feel they complement the design well. That, and uniquely shaped ears make Nidoran visually pop. The fur/barbs extending off their sides create a fascinating shape!

I find it interesting how early Ken Sugimori art depicted the female Nidoran with an aggressive stance, splaying her quills in warning of her potency.

Personally, I have nothing against her posture changing later on. The Pokédex does say the female is more docile out of the Nidorans. It’s more fitting that she plays an unassuming role unless provoked.

There’s only one thing that I’ve never understood about Nidoran: her obsession with having her mouth wide open all the time.

I’ve always loved how both Nidorans take different evolutionary paths, yet still remain closely related to each other.

This is another one of those cases where Nidorina is a “Version 1.5” of the Pokémon she has evolved from. Taller proportions, a meaner face, but otherwise very similar looking. At the same time, Nidorina hits all the right notes for me. She goes for a monster or dinosaur look, but still retains those fun ears that stood out in the previous design. The choices of blues for her color scheme just feel perfect to me.

There are also the oddly-shaped shoulders, which are likely developing scales. But with how Sugimori drew them, they could also be interpreted as fat deposits. It’s like Nidorina hasn’t quite finished going through her growth spurt!

It’s a shame that Nidorina lost the rodent-like appearance in favor of the marketable “badass” monster feel. I still love her design, but I can also see it being called a tad “generic.”

On a slight tangent, it’s never explained why Nidorina (but not Nidorino) is unable breed in the games. This is the only evolutionary family in all of Pokémon that eventually becomes infertile. It’s a small detail, but I really want to know the lore and logic behind it.

Nidoqueen is a Pokémon I often feel indifferent towards.

I appreciate that Nidoqueen goes for the rugged, dinosaur-like monster motif while still having effeminate features (something especially noticeable when compared to Nidoking). It adds a little variety to the giant roster of Pokémon under the same theme.

Rather than have hundreds of detailed scales, Nidoqueen’s are inferred through simple shapes around her limbs. I’m pleased with how they were integrated in her design.

And yet, I can only describe my overall feelings towards Nidoqueen as a bland, “Eh.” There must be something on the subconscious level that sours the design for me, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the ears losing the flair that Nidoran and Nidorina had?

Actually, the more I stare at Nidoqueen, the more I realize the problem. Nidoqueen quite literally has breast plates. I know that’s immature of me to say, but it’s difficult when she put so much emphasis on them in Pokémon Stadium.

It’s unusual of a Pokémon to do that, okay?!

I’m not inherently against the idea of bikini plate armor, but it feels oddly executed on Nidoqueen. It gives me awkward vibes similar to those stupid inflatable gorillas that stand outside of car dealerships.

It’s a love-hate relationship with Nidoqueen and I. It’s not a bad design, but it also doesn’t speak to me the same way Nidorina does.

And on a final note, How is Nidoqueen supposed to “defend her young” if she can’t create eggs?