Pokémon's Saddest Creature, Mimikyu, Finally Gets Its Due - The Verge

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The VergeThe Verge logo.Pokémon’s saddest creature, Mimikyu, finally gets its dueComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...

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Pokémon’s saddest creature, Mimikyu, finally gets its due

The Pokémon Company recognizes its best

The Pokémon Company recognizes its best

by Julia AlexanderCloseJulia AlexanderFormer ReporterLast published Aug 24, 2021

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Oct 1, 2019, 8:01 PM UTC

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Every time some very kind person mistakenly compliments the cute, anxious-looking Mimikyu tattooed on my forearm for Pikachu, I become giddy because I get to talk about Pokémon’s best.

Now, after trailing in Pikachu’s shadow for too long, The Pokémon Company is talking about him, too. The company’s social media team is dedicating the entire month of October to celebrate Mimikyu, who first made its debut in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon in November 2016. The company tweeted its plans to pay homage to “this lonely, terrifying Pokémon — who really just wants to snuggle” all month long, but didn’t suggest what that entails. There could be some cool Mimikyu-related swag (perhaps a new plushie?) or maybe there’s nothing at all beyond a series of loving tweets directed at the ghost-pokémon.

Here’s what you need to know about Mimikyu: its entire life is tragic. No one knows what it looks like, but according to official Pokémon lore, the sole person who did get a glimpse of the actual creature “was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock.” To counteract the effect Mimikyu has on other people (specifically, death), Mimikyu decided to wear a costume — it drew a mouth and rosy red cheeks on a dirty old rag so it could look more like a truly beloved pokémon, Pikachu.

Mimikyu is technically a ghost-pokémon, which is perfect for Halloween, but beyond that it’s a sad creature who just wants to be loved. If it takes too much damage in battle and its neck is disfigured, it spends all night trying to fix it, crying.

Heck, this is a pokémon whose power move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is quite literally called “Let’s Snuggle Forever.” If Mimikyu were a song, it’d be “Hands Down” by Dashboard Confessional.

I love Mimikyu. I love it so much that I got its costumed body tattooed on my forearm. I’m typing this on a desk with a big Mimikyu plushie (snuggled in close to an even bigger Squirtle). The only Pokémon clothing I own are a pair of Mimikyu socks. Part of my adoration for Mimikyu comes from it being obscenely adorable. But I think the idea of what Mimikyu encompasses, this lonely creature who just wants to shower its friends with love and be equally loved in return, is endearing. Mimikyu might start out hating Pikachu in the Pokémon anime, but that stems from being jealous of a pokémon who knows nothing but love.

It’s easy for Mimikyu to get lost in a crowd of pokémon, especially as the roster expands to include pokémon designed around household items like trash bags and house keys, but it deserves to be in the spotlight. Finally, The Pokémon Company is giving it that chance.

Mimikyu will also be available to catch — and love — in Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield on November 15th.

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