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Normal-type Reviews: Rattata & Raticate

Rattata & Raticate

We’re back for the Normal-type reviews, and today we’re going to focus on Rattata and Raticate, who could be classified as both mice and rats! If you are ready with this one, please proceed.

 
 

 

“Rattata and Raticate were the first in an ongoing generational tradition of pokemon that have come to be categorised under the familiar, yet irritating, banner of “regional rodents” (irritating because literally only half of the current six so-called “regional rodents” are actually based upon members of the rodent family – I guess that “regional furry woodland creature” doesn’t have quite the same alliterative ring?) This unassuming group of Pokémon are not exactly what one would call “fan favourites” – to your average player, a HM slave at best, an object of ridicule at worst, and by and large just something common and annoying to be encountered in the grasses whilst searching for rarer Pokémon.

“I personally though have always had a special soft spot for this particular bunch of Pokémon – helped along by the fact that I love Normal types in general – and in my first playthrough of each generation, I always make a point of ensuring that the Pokémon in question is my very first capture, and of retaining it on my team throughout the game. Rattata and Raticate have always held a particularly strong appeal for me, given that they’re based upon my favourite animal (although why these two Rat-based Pokémon were later reclassified as “Mouse” Pokémon is so vexing to me).

“Of all the Pokémon I used in Blue, Raticate definitely ranked amongst the best in sheer entertainment value, just for the size and variety of its movepool – it had access to Dig, Blizzard, Bubblebeam (back when it was a TM), Thunderbolt and Mimic, among others. Not to mention that, prior to Generation IV, these rats were the only Pokémon that could learn Super Fang (other than Smeargle, of course), which has always been among my favourites. Those of you who dumped your level 14 Rattatas in your PC boxes shortly before boarding the SS Anne had the misfortune of missing out upon this little devil of a move.” ~ garrison-san

 
 

Rattata & Raticate
Selected Fan Art (Artist: MrRedButcher)

 

Rattata and Raticate are the first early-game two-staged Normal-type mammal, who are generally weaker compared to the Pokémon found later, and would pave the way for others in other regions, such as Sentret and Furret, Zigzagoon and Linoone, and Bidoof and Bibarel. In essence, Rattata and Raticate are basically normal rats that are made stronger, so they’re more like mutant rats that grew too much.

As rodent Pokémon, Rattata and Raticate’s teeth are their strengths. It is mainly used to bite things when it attacks or chews on anything. Rodents need to chew on things if they were to keep their teeth at a manageable length, since it keeps growing like our fingernails. This is the case for Rattata and Raticate, since they too have incisors that continually grow. Raticate’s chewing is even stated to be able to gnaw off buildings on top of woods and rocks, making it quite a hazardous pest in cities.

Speaking of cities, Rattata is said to be quite adaptable to any environment including cities, mainly because of its hardy vitality caused by its cautiousness. It is so cautious that it will not actually be sleeping while asleep because it listens through its moving ears. After all, a rat is too small to be threatening and quite defenceless (except for their teeth), so they need to watch out for anything that might eat them. In fact, Rattata is similar to city rats in many ways. Not only do they scavenge for any scraps left behind, they also eat anything they can find. Rattata is even said to produce offspring in a short time if food is more readily available, so that their rat family is sufficiently sustainable.

Rattata’s claim to fame is being Youngster Joey’s Pokémon that he brags a lot about. In Gold and Silver, there is a phone feature called the PokéGear that you can record numbers into. As it turns out, Youngster Joey is one of the people who you could get a number from. If you do, you might occasionally receive calls from him about how his Rattata is the “top percentage” of the species, as if it is the most special version of a generally weak Pokémon, which isn’t saying much. The boast of making a weak Pokémon sound strong is hilarious on its own, so he’s got some fans that believe in this underdog. It is so popular that later localisations made certain youngsters into Youngster Joey, and if that non-player character is using Rattata, then it’s pretty much his guaranteed name. Other things fans did to live up to his legacy is to play a run using only Rattata, and making fan art where Rattata is buffed.

Raticate is not as small as Rattata, so it could put up a fight. When it is attacked by an enemy, it will display its incisors and shriek at them as a sign of intimidation. That’s not forgetting that they have strong teeth, so their bites hurt hard. Raticate’s whiskers is needed to allow it to balance, otherwise it will slow down if it’s cut off. Using whiskers to balance is a strange concept, because the inner ear is the chief part in maintaining balance. The whiskers are either like a tightrope where it balances the Pokémon, or they are connected to the inner ear to allow such a thing to happen. In any case, it will grow back if it somehow got removed.

Another trick that Raticate could perform is to swim, using its supposed webbed feet. Even though its feet are said to be webbed, the artwork of Raticate displays otherwise. In any case, the ability to swim comes in handy when it catching prey or just swimming across a body of water. While this sounds like an amazing ability for a rat, rats are actually already good swimmers, so it’s nothing significant. Raticate might have some similarities with the muskrat because it is a semi-aquatic large rodent with webbed feet, but Raticate doesn’t necessarily have ties with being semi-aquatic since it doesn’t live in water areas (its main habitat is located in the plains and the savannas.

Interestingly, in Generation 1 and 2, these Pokémon were known as “Rat” Pokémon, but now they are “Mouse” Pokémon. The species name change seems unneeded, considering they are referred to rats in their names already, and that Pokémon names tend to stay the same at each passing Generation, so changing to “Mouse” makes it inconsistent.

Raticate’s generally not as good as other Pokémon in battle, but it has some advantageous abilities that allow it to be decent. With either Guts or Hustle, its Attack could be increased without actually boosting it with a move. Because Raticate’s Speed is good, it is an alright attacker, using Double-Edge for a lot of damage, Crunch for Ghost-types and Quick Attack to attack first. Interestingly, it learns Flame Wheel as an Egg Move, and while it is its only option for a Fire attack (and the only non-Fire-type to learn it), its low power and lack of STAB makes it less useful.

Rats are cute in their own way, because they are small, furry and its two front teeth are part of their charm. It could also be viewed as disgusting creatures for their size, their worm-like tail and perhaps hygiene (it should be noted that rats are hygienic, so it’s a matter of where they’re found!). Likewise, these Pokémon could be liked and disliked for the same reasons, because Rattata and Raticate are similar to real rats in many ways. Just keep their biting habits in check and you are fine!

 
 

+ Rats make nice pets
+ True under-“rat” Pokémon (or is it under-“rat”-ed?)
± Basic Pokémon with little to no frills
– General pest Pokémon

 
 
 
 

Rattata’s TCG Card

Rattata (EX Team Rocket Returns 72)

Here, we see Rattata in an environment that could be practically anywhere. It might be in the countryside or it could be in the city, which goes well with the adaptability of the species in any kind of environment.

 
 

Raticate’s TCG Card

Raticate (Undaunted 34)

While it’s a blend between a model of Raticate and an image, the two elements blend well together to give an impression that Raticate had just toppled a thick beam.

 
 
 
 

Super Fang

Even for an early-game Pokémon, Rattata and Raticate already got a move to differentiate them from the rest. In Generation 1 to 3, they are the only Pokémon to learn Super Fang, until Generation 4 onwards made this move more widely available, then into a Move Tutor for other biting Pokémon to enjoy its benefits. Even then, this move represents the superb biting power of these rodent Pokémon.

Why is Super Fang so potent? This is because it halves the opponent’s current HP. No matter how you look at it, this is a lot of HP because this move does not discriminate its targets, so not even Rock- or Steel-types can resist it (but Ghost-types are still immune to it). Of course, since it halves the opponent’s HP, it is best to use it while the opponent is healthy for the highest-possible HP loss. Note that because of the way this move works, it cannot KO the target until they have 1 HP left.

Overall, Super Fang is a potent move for Pokémon that don’t have much offence, because it reduces a lot of HP from a healthy opponent.

 
 
 
 

That’s all for today’s article. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.

Thanks for reading.

 

Next Article: Regigigas


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