(Some of the clothed Pokémon. Image by Jevsy)
There is a lot of variation in Pokémon’s designs. We have animals, we have plants, we have mystical creatures, and we also have Pokémon resembling people. Some of the Pokémon that resemble people have something that could be unusual if you think about it, and it’s the topic we are going to discuss today: clothes.
If you are ready, read on.
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We sometimes think of Pokémon as creatures that don’t need to get dressed, because animals or plants don’t need to understand modesty since it doesn’t matter to them that other animals are naked. For people, it is different, because we treasure our modesty, lest we feel uncomfortable with others attempting to show off (if you know what I mean).
There are different types of stages on clothing in Pokémon, not taking into account “naked” ones like Clefairy. One side are for Pokémon with natural fur or down that is similar to the animal it is based on, such as Pidgey or Raticate. The other side are for Pokémon that wear actual clothes, such as Machoke and Throh. Then, there are those in between, such as Snubbull and Mienshao. We are mainly going for those that wear actual clothes in this article.
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It’s true that Pokémon wearing clothes is bizarre by itself, since it would seem that they have been wearing them from the beginning. Since Pokémon tend to be exposed to different effects like fire, shocks and cuts, it would seem that they could suffer clothing damage, but the show and manga doesn’t show that. When those Pokémon recover, even their clothes have their damage repaired, such as when Kadabra recovered in the anime (from what I recalled). In other words, their clothes are indestructible and reusable.
It’s even more bizarre that they already start wearing something ever since they are born. This is referring to Pokémon that are already wearing something in the basic stage, which would include Throh and Sawk. It might imply that the clothes are part of their body, as that implies that it grows while they are incubated in the egg. Thinking that the clothes are part of the body could gross some people out, since certain ideas might be thought of, such as their private parts.
Another theory about how Pokémon got their clothes is related to this comic (Warning: Contains slight nudity): they got them by external means. Perhaps they got their uniforms as soon as they are born, since nobody is born with garments. For those that got clothes through evolution, they might need a change of clothes. In order to accommodate their battling lifestyle, those clothes must be able to withstand the elements, which would make those clothes expensive.
What if there is an actual ecosystem where there are Pokémon tailors to provide the clothes? That would certainly be plausible if Pokémon have intelligence, or at least a fundamental understanding on what needs clothes. While the only Pokémon with a tailor’s ability is Leavanny, it’s also possible that other Bug-types collaborate with other Pokémon to make the clothes. This makes the ecosystem seem like a community, which is possible too, not unlike the case with the Mystery Dungeon sub-series.
It’s certainly fun to think about why the Pokémon wears clothes in the first place, but ultimately, this fictional logic is something we don’t need to take seriously. There are other various bizarre elements in Pokémon that defy logic, such as summoning rocks in the air to execute attacks or how something small could lift a human through long distances. What I am saying here is that you don’t need to think too much about it, though it doesn’t hurt to discuss this, for the sake of having a fun discussion.
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Before I finish this article, I would like to share a story I read long before that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find that story in the web (I read it in a book). As far as I could remember, it basically goes like this: a baby was born with a blue shirt, and that boy was destined for greatness. A queen secretly wanted him to be executed by having him (grown up) send a message to another kingdom that he’s not supposed to read (the message probably have some treason-related content).
Some thieves got hold of the message when this boy was resting in an inn. Not liking that message, they forged another message that probably make that other kingdom like him. After that, the boy basically become part of the royalty (I think by marrying the princess). I guess this story relates to this article in that if something is born with clothes, they are destined for greatness.
With that, I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I have writing it.
Thanks for reading.
