In this recurring series, I’ll analyze the origins of Pokémon designs, their culture, and their historical allusions to British culture.
Eiscue is based on a penguin, and is classified as the Penguin Pokémon. Its name is a modification of “ice cube”, relating to its cube head, in which eyes are shaved and a beak is jutting out of the block.
This is its “Ice Face” form, which relates to its signature ability Ice Face. Similar to Mimikyu’s Disguise, this is its primary form, which has a high defense stat. However, once it takes a hit, its face shatters and reveals its true face underneath.
It drifted in on the flow of ocean waters from a frigid place. It keeps its head iced constantly to make sure it stays nice and cold.
This Pokémon keeps its heat-sensitive head cool with ice. It fishes for its food, dangling its single hair into the sea to lure in prey.
In this “Noice” form, its defense is lowered but its speed rises significantly. Its true head is proportional to its body and much more round. Unlike the disguise ability, its “Ice Face” will return when in hail.
The ice covering this Pokémon’s face has shattered, revealing a slightly worried expression that many people are enamored with.
The hair on its head connects to the surface of its brain. When this Pokémon has something on its mind, its hair chills the air around it.
Penguins are not native to Great Britian, as they tend to live in the southern hemisphere. However, it does seem like they came from another region and became an invasive species. It stayed around due to its adorable expressions.
It might be based on the Great Auk, a flightless bird that bears a resemblance to a penguin, which lived in the northern seas around Great Britain and Iceland until they went extinct in the nineteenth century due to human activity.
Since Galar has a warmer climate, their heads can’t normally handle it and they wrap their heads in ice to stay cool. This raises the question of whether the “Ice Face” form is even a natural form or an attempt by the Galarian Eiscue to deal with its climate.
Similar to Copperajah, this may also be an example of a Pokémon that originally came to Galar as part of a larger empire. Great Britain had control over South Africa throughout much of the nineteenth century, though there were numerous disputes between the locals and other European powers.
As such, Eiscue may be based on an African Penguin. Similar to Eiscue, these penguins have a biological system for regulating their temperature in the form of pink sweat glands on their head. It’s possible that Eiscue were brought to Galar and have since become native to the region.
It has a single long hair on its head which is used as a natural fishing rod. Penguins may swim as far as fifteen miles from the shore in order to catch fish for the day.
Whether Eiscue is based on a Great Auk or an African Penguin, Eiscue is definitely too cute to ignore.
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