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With the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players encountered the new phenomenon known as Paradox Pokemon. These creatures are either ancestors or descendants of existing creatures, with a focus on version exclusivity. This means the ancestorial variants only featured in Scarlet and Violet took a glimpse into the future. The focus of this article lies on the future variants introduced in Violet.
Unfortunately, some players found the future paradox Pokemon disappointing as they all turned out to be robots, lacking diversity and imagination. The uniformity of their designs made them feel like afterthoughts and imposters of the originals. Others argue that robots offer vast possibilities, drawing inspiration from pop fiction and real-world technologies.
All Pokemon Violet's Paradox inspirations explained
The lore surrounding these paradox Pokemon remains limited, with Dex entries providing inadequate information. However, players can find additional clues in the academy's library through the violet book and paranormal, occult magazines, potentially hinting at further developments in future DLC.
1) Iron Treads
Iron Treads is a highly-modified version of Donphan with tank-like features. Its design draws inspiration from futuristic war machines and robotic wheel machines from science fiction. Additionally, the concept of drones aligns with its behavior, making it a formidable and versatile creature.
The historical legacy of war elephants further enhances its character. Overall, Iron Treads combines ancient power and futuristic technology in a compelling way.
2) Iron Moth
Iron Moth is described in paranormal magazines as a UFO sent to observe humanity. Its behavior aligns with typical UFO reports, hovering and watching without taking any action. The design draws inspiration from space telescopes and the mysterious Black Knight satellite.
Additionally, Iron Moth's wings suggest a connection to historical UFO sightings known as "Foo Fighters." Its Poison-Type may symbolize its metallic and poisonous nature taking inspiration from many real-life venomous moths. Overall, Iron Moth represents an enigmatic and futuristic Volcarona with connections to alien surveillance and technological advancements.
Its wings also resemble the Sun, which makes Iron Moth a perfect futuristic embodiment of Volcarona.
3) Iron Hands
Iron Hands represents a great athlete who transforms into a cyborg to extend their life. As a cyborg, it gains floating hands resembling defibrillators and thus gains its Electric-Type along with its Fighting-Type. The design draws inspiration from sumo wrestlers capable of powerful close-range attacks.
Iron Hands also symbolizes the potential future of sports, with the idea of cyborg Olympics for those with cybernetic enhancements. Despite technological advancements, humanity still thrives at its core.
4) Iron Jugulis
Iron Jugulis is a paradox Pokemon that combines the appearance of Hydreigon with elements of Mecha-King Ghidorah from the Godzilla franchise. Its design represents a fusion of organic matter and machines, making it a Xenobot, a synthetic lifeform. Xenobots are created by combining different biological tissues and have been developed in real life using stem cells from frog embryos.
While Iron Jugulis looks impressive, it seems to be an unfinished creation, which might explain its similarities to Hydreigon. However, the origins of these paradox critters offer an interesting glimpse into the development process, with beta Zweilous originally envisioned as a mecha-dragon before becoming Iron Jugulis.
5) Iron Bundle
Iron Bundle is a past paradox creature that draws inspiration from nostalgia, particularly the Christmas theme. Resembling an animatronic Santa bird, it incorporates elements from classic Christmas toys like jack-in-the-boxes and wind-up toys. Additionally, its design reflects the futuristic style of the early 2000s, reminiscent of Y2K aesthetics.
The name "Iron Bundle" alludes to its snow globe-like back, which operates as a propulsion system. Interestingly, its design also reflects Netsuke, traditional Japanese statuettes that fasten small purses called Sagemono. As a representation of the past, it showcases how the previous perception of the future has influenced its appearance.
6) Iron Thorns
Iron Thorns is a future paradox Pokemon that draws inspiration from the mecha-Godzilla concept, particularly from the Ultraman franchise. It is the more advanced version of the original MT design and incorporates Godzilla references in its appearance. The glowing spikes on its back represent fusion or power cores commonly seen in robotic and mecha designs.
The thorns may also be a reference to a real-life phenomenon called "induced metamorphosis," where certain species can be forced to reach adulthood faster or undergo transformations not normally possible in nature.
The electric typing and power core references in Iron Thorns' design could relate to its energy requirements as a mecha. The rock typing may also allude to Godzilla's powers, which are linked to the energy of uranium ore found in rocks. Overall, Iron Thorns represents the fusion of the two Belumars from the Ultraman franchise, combining aspects of both draconic kaiju and mecha humanoid designs.
7) Iron Valiant
Iron Valiant is a future paradox that draws inspiration from the mega Evolutions of Gardevoir and Gallade. Its typing combines fairy from Gardevoir and fighting from Gallade, making it the only Pokemon with this combination. The magazine mentions that it is a robot created by a mad scientist's efforts to construct the most powerful psychic menace.
However, Iron Valiant is considered a failure due to its cruel and violent nature, representing the science-fiction side of AI.
Iron Valiant's design reflects an evil AI but lacks complexity and free will, making it more like a simple, aggressive robot. Its behavior is guided by basic instructions rather than the intricate learning processes of advanced AI. As a result, it lacks the emotional depth and connection seen in the Gardevoir line, which is known for its psychic powers originating from its strong emotional bond with its trainer.
8) Iron Leaves
Its design resembles Virizion with LED eyes, and when it attacks, three beams of light emanate from its forehead and neck, referencing the three Swords of Justice. The discussion suggests that Iron Leaves could serve as a support mount for Iron Valiant, which shares a similar color scheme and move-only-as-necessary demeanor.
The idea is that Iron Valiant and Iron Leaves were created by the same inventor, and together they form the ultimate AI battle vehicle of the future. Iron Leaves complements Iron Valiant, allowing it to reach its full potential as the ultimate Psychic-Type Pokemon.
However, despite this potential narrative, Iron Leaves lacks Dex entries and in-game lore, leaving many details about its role and existence a mystery. Its movements are described as unnatural and pulled from pop culture, indicating that it might not fully understand human culture or behavior.
