We’re back for the Normal-type reviews, and today we’re going to focus on Rufflet and Braviary, eagle Pokémon with a distinct American flavour! If you are ready with this one, please proceed.
Selected Fan Art (Artist: pokiesman)
When Braviary was first revealed, several people had gotten the vibe that this is an American Pokémon. Come on, if you look at it, you should see it too. What, you didn’t see it? Well, to explain, Braviary’s colours resemble that of a United States of American flag, yellow being an exception (even then, it’s a minor colour). The bald eagle is also the national animal for the United States. Finally, Braviary’s crown resembles that of a Native American war bonnet. These design choices make Braviary an obvious American Pokémon. Even Rufflet is an American Pokémon, though unlike Braviary’s war bonnet crown, it has a honour feather instead.
Both Rufflet and Braviary are counterparts to Vullaby and Mandibuzz, since they are only found in either Black or White (Braviary’s family is the latter). Both families are based on birds of prey, which are birds who mainly eat meat. Incidentally, both birds are found in America. They share several other characteristics such as evolving at the same level (54), but they also have contrasting ones. For one, Braviary and Rufflet are exclusively male, while Mandibuzz and Vullaby are exclusively female. Another thing is the former is more offensive while the latter is more defensive.
Interestingly Rufflet and Braviary were one of the earliest to be designed. Contrast this to its counterparts, whom were one of the latest to be designed. More interestingly is that both weren’t related at first, but was made into counterparts with Rufflet and Braviary. There is a possible danger that when you are exposed to Pokémon too much, you might forget that there are female eagles and male vultures, judging by the gender of both Pokémon families.
Courage is the name of this Pokémon. Braviary is a Pokémon that fights for its friends, even in the face of danger and potential fatality. Having many battle scars is a display of courage since the proof of its battle record is quite clear, which translates to getting respect from its peers. It should be noted that unlike many predatory bird Pokémon, Braviary is more resilient, with its higher HP and decent defences to complement that. This makes it a good user of Bulk Up and Brave Bird. Its hidden ability Defiant is compatible with its nature, since Braviary gets stronger in the face of certain dangers, such as Intimidate and Defog.
Rufflet would appear to have signs of bravery due to its tendency to face any opponent, no matter how strong they are. It is done with good intentions due to Rufflet’s willingness to get stronger, but it could also be reckless in that regard. Perhaps it didn’t recognise when it’s time to retreat, but it might have this nature for the sake of survival, which turns out to be beneficial because it develops as a fighter as a result. This is where its hidden ability Hustle stems from. Rufflet couldn’t get Hustle until Generation 6 because at that time, males like Braviary cannot produce offspring with their hidden ability.
Strength is something Braviary also possesses. Braviary is said to have the ability to lift heavy things like a car while flying. This is the basis of the move Sky Drop, which lifts a target for one turn, and drops them on the next. This could be because as a predatory bird, it needs to be able to carry animals. One of the distinguishing traits in an eagle is acute eyesight (attributed to the large pupils in its eyes), which Braviary should have, since it has Keen Eye as one of its abilities. This helps in watching out for potential prey to capture. Unlike the real world where the animals are smaller and lighter, Pokémon tend to be heavier and bigger on average, so being able to lift large prey is required. It even gets Superpower, which is great for overcoming Rock- and Steel-types that resist its Normal and Flying attacks. Braviary’s Sheer Force is the source of the power, even though it lacks moves to complement this ability.
Braviary and Rufflet are products of being designed for a region based on America, which means it is tailor-made to make a region more America-like. In later Generations where USA won’t be the basis of the region, it’s entirely possible that Braviary is recognised as a symbol of courage instead of being a USA Pokémon, which is alright with me, because Pokémon should not depend too much on being a symbol of a country that it would lose that identity when you take that away. So what I am saying is that with a franchise that covers worldwide, it’s OK to have Pokémon based on something in a certain country, but not entirely that country.
It’s no surprise that Braviary is associated with all things American at some point such as Captain America, so I say that Braviary has successfully pandered to the American audience, making its existence a success.
+ Symbol of courage
+ Eagles are majestic animals
– Difficult to raise
Rufflet’s TCG Card
As Rufflet’s name suggests, it is in a state or ruffle and scuffle, being rather disturbed by something and going into an ambush. Oftentimes, when somebody young partakes in brave action, we commend them for their valour. With Rufflet here, you get the sense that it is doing this recklessly or perhaps it is reacting after being threatened, but we still commend its willingness to take action anyway.
Braviary’s TCG Card
Despite the rough weather, Braviary is still in a state of determination and continue making its flight. You can even look at how undeterred its face is, even though the thunderstorm could very well shoot it down. It might even be sweating, so perhaps it does understand the dangers of flying in a storm, but it’s hard to tell from all that rain. Either way, its determination against all odds is inspiring, and could very well be a role model for anybody in the Pokémon world and possibly the real world.
Thrash
A suitable move for Rufflet and Braviary is one that symbolises their determination and the desire to keep going on even when things get tough. Thrash, the move for these Pokémon, is quite powerful, but after constantly attacking, they might be tired and confused, which might cause them to hurt themselves. Still, if they did their part, then they got the job done.
Thrash was somewhat underpowered in earlier Generations relative to its drawbacks, due to having only 90 BP at first. After four Generations, then its power is more reasonable, becoming 120 BP to match Outrage’s power (the latter is the first move to get a power upgrade for its effect).
Even with increased power, this attack is still a risky attack because while using this attack, the trainer has to wait for the Pokémon to finish their attack, in which the Pokémon will be confused. This discourages the Pokémon from continually attacking, but in the off chance they attack again, you get to deal more damage. Moreover, you need to be careful that the opponent doesn’t have any Pokémon that resists your attack, because if they do, they have a way in mitigating this powerful attack.
It should be noted that there are two things to consider with this move: One, in a Double or Triple battle, the target in which the attacking Pokémon aims is random; Two, if the opponent is immune to Thrash, whether it’s a move or being a Ghost-type, then the attack stops. Normally it won’t confuse the user if the move is block, but if the move is supposed to be completed on the turn they stop, they will still be confused. Because of this, there is a huge risk in using Thrash.
Overall, Thrash is a great attack if it connects (and hopefully knocks out a target), but when it has ran its course, it becomes a lot riskier to use.
That’s all for today’s article. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.
Next Article: Sentret & Furret
