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Why do Staryu and a few other Pokémon not say their names when all the others do?

Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked on November 29, 2020

All of the Pokémon in the animé say their names when they speak. For instance, Pikachu says “Pikachu” or some variation using those sounds (“Pika”, “Chu-Pikachu”, “Pi-pi-chu”, etc). However, there are a few Pokémon, all from Generation 1 as far as I know, that don’t say their names:

  • Staryu/Starmie (hiyah!)
  • Krabby/Kingler (kookie-kookie!)
  • Victreebel (*screaming*)
  • Electabuzz (whatever the heck this is)

Why is it that these Pokémon don’t say their names while all the other Pokémon do?

2 Answers

  • Electabuzz

    I can’t find any solid evidence as to why Electabuzz has its bizarre cry. This site speculates that Electabuzz was some kind of thunder oni, though Raijin seems a more likely inspiration:

    enter image description here

    Pictures similar to this famous one, which depicts Raijin with two horn-like protrusions, might have inspired Electabuzz. Its horns also look like Raijin’s drumsticks. If Electabuzz was inspired by Raijin, perhaps its cry is supposed to sound like thunder?

    Maybe.

  • Starmie and Staryu

    These are easier. As noted here:

    Staryu has a very recognizable personality in the anime to those familiar with Japanese pop culture. More than any other Pokémon in the anime, Staryu and Starmie share the mannerisms of their cultural basis, the 1960s television hero Ultraman (the original Japanese name Hitodeman is the ultimate clue as hitode is Japanese for starfish). Staryu’s movement and “kiai” sound mimic Ultraman, but the most noticeable similarity between them is the jewel on their chests. When Staryu and Ultraman are low on energy, the jewel begins to blink and chime a warning alarm.

    Here’s the Staryu sound:

    And here is Ultraman’s sound:

  • Krabby/Kingler

    These Pokémon make an odd sort of chirping noise:

    Best guess, this is supposed to sound like a sound a real crab would make.

  • Victreebel

    Victreebel basically just screams:

    I cannot even attempt to understand why this is.

Correct answer by Adamant on November 29, 2020

Electabuzz is actually saying its name -- but in Japanese, where it's called "Eleboo" (エレブー) instead. Sometimes the localizations leave the original Japanese Pokemon vocalizations intact, which can result in oddities like this when the names have been changed. A similar example is Onix, which is called "Iwark" (イワーク) in Japanese, and can be heard bellowing precisely this.

Answered by Rachel Clark on November 29, 2020

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