The Origins of 4 Scorpion Pokemon & the Real Animals Behind Them

Scorpions are scary enough on their own. These Pokemon cross them with something worse.

Here are the origins of the 4 scorpion Pokemon:

All 4 Scorpion Pokemon

#207

Gligar

Gligar, the Fly Scorpion Pokemon, shares traits with both bats and scorpions, and its bat-like body and Ground type may also come from the gargoyle. Its habit of hugging faces may borrow from the face-hugging creatures of science fiction, which often have arachnid traits. It may also draw on Japanese flying squirrels, the momonga and the musasabi, gliding animals depicted as face-huggers, and the musasabi is linked to the nobusuma, a yōkai often described as a monstrous bat.

Its tail is tipped by a thick, horrible stinger, and it brings down prey by covering their faces with its body before injecting them with venom. A hug, then a sting, and we hope this is not a metaphor. It stands 1.1 m tall and weighs 64.8 kg.

#451

Skorupi

Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokemon, appears to be based on a scorpion, with some traits of the vinegarroon, a similar arachnid. It sits in the Water 3 Egg Group, one of the groups that decide which Pokemon can breed together, which may refer to sea scorpions, ancient arthropods that lived in the oceans and may have been the ancestors of modern scorpions.

Its claws are razor-sharp and poisonous, which makes it a highly dangerous Pokemon, but it seems to be weakened by cold temperatures. Dangerous unless it is chilly is a description that fits us too. Its Battle Armor ability blocks critical hits (a critical hit is a lucky blow that deals extra damage), and its Sniper ability makes its own critical hits deal 3× damage in place of 2×. An ability is a passive effect that works on its own in battle. It stands 0.8 m tall and weighs 12 kg.

#452

Drapion

Drapion, the Ogre Scorpion Pokemon, is likely based on a scorpion with some traits of the vinegarroon. Like Skorupi, its place in the Water 3 Egg Group may point back to the sea scorpions of the ancient oceans.

It has a brutish, ferocious temperament, and with immense strength and a shell off which swords will bounce, it rampages about and wreaks havoc. (Swords bounce off it, while we bruise on a table corner.) It shares Skorupi's Battle Armor, so critical hits cannot land on it either.

#472

Gliscor

Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokemon, appears to combine scorpions with vampires, which in turn share traits with bats. Its resistance to poison may refer to the immune system of bats, which keeps them from getting ill from the diseases they carry. Like Gligar, it may also come from the gargoyle, and from the nobusuma, a vampiric yōkai that glides through the sky.

It glides soundlessly on pitch-black wings and sinks sharp fangs into the throat of its prey, and it looks satisfied once it has drained its prey of blood. A vampire scorpion bat means we are not leaving the window open tonight. Its hidden ability, Poison Heal, makes it heal each turn while poisoned, in place of taking damage (a hidden ability is a rarer ability that only some of a species have). It stands 2 m tall and weighs 42.5 kg.

Half the Scorpion Pokemon Have No Poison Type

Scorpions sting, and two of these four Pokemon do not have the type to match. Gligar has a thick stinger full of venom, yet it is Ground and Flying, a typing it passes to Gliscor. Only Skorupi and Drapion carry the Poison type.

Gliscor turns that around in battle. Its hidden ability, Poison Heal, heals it while it is poisoned, so the venom the scorpion line lost as a type comes back as a cure. Gligar's own hidden ability, Immunity, keeps it from being poisoned at all.