There has been a lot of speculation about Genesect’s real life inspiration, most conclude that the Pokémon is just an imaginary generalisation of prehistoric arthropods but is there a possibility that he is actually based on a creature that once existed? I believe there is. First of all I want to say that some of the speculations I’m about to share may have already been mentioned somewhere else though I really doubt it. Now lets start with a theory that has long been a splinter in my eyes…
The theory suggests that there is some connection between him and Kabutops, going as far as presuming that they may be the same creature.
I’m not going to go into details how the body structure of both Pokémon is very different, in fact the only similarities between them is the flat head, number of limbs and body posture. There is however something else that puts Kabutops into a completely different category from Genesect, something that most people have overlooked. Kabutops has a well developed endoskeleton under his exoskeleton!
Arthropods only have an exoskeleton, so maybe this is one of the reasons why Kabuto and Kabutops are not bug typed even though they are clearly inspired and based on ancient arthropods. There is no evidence if Kabuto also has an endoskeleton or perhaps this adaptation is only present in it’s evolved form (maybe as additional support). How does this concern Genesect? First of all Genesect is a bug type Pokémon, meaning he is supposed to be an invertebrate like all the other bug type Pokémon, indeed even his name suggests he is closer to insects than any other arthropods.
There is a possibility that Kabuto is a relative to Genesect, even maybe a distant ancestor (the same way crustaceans evolved into insects millions of years ago) but considering they appeared at the same time in the past that is highly unlikely. What is Genesect based on then?My personal theory is that he is based on blattoptera (proto-cockroaches), the ancestors of mantises, termites and modern cockroaches, who happen to live in the same period as Genesect. From these proto-cockroaches evolves a species of cockroaches (Raphidiomimula burmitica) that have the same forelegs as mantises and Genesect seems to have similar.
So to sum it up Genesect is the missing link between the proto-cockroaches who lived during the Paleozoic and the distant mantises ancestor Raphidiomimula burmitica, which makes him more closely related to Scyther.
Indeed when you compare the two you can notice the similarities:
After the latest Pokémon movie Genesect and the Legend Awakened we are finally able to see the fossil from which Genesect has been revived.
Please notice how the tip of the arm is still segmented which further proves that the original Genesect didn’t posses a truly raptorial forearms like Scyther or Kabutops, although it seems that he has began evolving them just like the proto-cockroaches that I mentioned.
It also seems that Genesect’s exoskeleton and body type have not been changed that much after he was turned into a cyborg meaning he might have already been a part steel type or that the only modifications have been turning the outer layer of the exoskeleton into a steel armor and the tip of the arms into a single piece for stabbing attack as seen in Pokémon XY.
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The above content was submitted by Ivan Bug (aka LovableMaggot), please discuss and comment with your views and opinions! Please excuse some of the formatting issues, the site is being completely uncooperative and I can’t quite get it fixed!
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