Actually, I'm thinking about going by Pinma'am now.

127: Pinsir

Pinsir's definitely another underrated Pokemon in Gen 1. Probably mostly ignored given its drab colors and just general lack of conventionally "cool" characteristics. But I think Pinsir is actually pretty dang rad. I love its unruly proportions between its huge big, stumpy legs but long gangly arms. Huge mandibles that are more like horns but still behave like mandibles, looking a little extra thorny. And lest we mention that terrifying mouth with rows of teeth on each side, probably the Pokemon with the most insectoid-looking mouth without the mouth being entirely insectoid.

Pinsir could probably owe its existence to the very idea that inspired Pokemon in the first place! Pinsir's clearly meant to be some form of stag beetle, however monstrous it looks. Bug catching is apparently a fairly common hobby in the more rural areas of Japan, stag beetles in particular being attractive finds since you can pit yours against one your friend caught and watch them fight. Junichi Masuda liked doing this as a kid, and that hobby is stated to be the thing that inspired the concept of Pokemon in the first place. It's no wonder Bug got its own dedicated type in this game!

I think the only thing I'd change about Pinsir's design is, as usual, the fairly generic eyes. It's kind of begging for some bug-like eyes, or at least creepier eyes in general. But generally speaking yeah, this is yet another Pokemon I'm shocked ranked so low the first time I reviewed these. You could definitely say I appreciate Pinsir a lot more these days. But... then something interesting happened that got me to appreciate Pinsir even more. Something extremely recent, in fact!

Wait, what?????? New Pokemon Snap took Pinsir and... stuck it in the middle of a sand pit? With it sitting in the center with its mandibles at the ready?! They did WHAT?!? THAT'S GENIUS.

Antlions are up there was one of my favorite insects, at least a good few years ago. Their adult stage isn't terribly interesting, but their life as predatory larvae has them digging pits in sand where they wait to trap any insects, mostly ants, that are unfortunate enough to get stuck in its pit. While I'm most definitely sure Pinsir is an odd stag beetle-inspired creature, (Pinsir's Pokedex entries have no mention of it attacking from the ground, just that it buries itself to sleep, which is what stag beetle larvae do when it's time to pupate.) I think what happened here is that the New Pokemon Snap devs realized Pinsir actually has quite a few physical similarities to antlions, and retroactively had Pinsir behave like one! That's SO COOL.

I know generally speaking I've been coming around on Gen 1 Pokemon and have been starting to appreciate them a lot more than I used to, but there really is something magical about doing something like that to a design that's existed for two and a half decades. I love Pokemon that are based on specifically one kind of animal, don't get me wrong, but man. That's the real magic of just sort of "inventing a creature." Like a lot of Gen 1 did.

Engage Piss Vision

Mega Pinsir:

And it's definitely nice of a Pokemon as underappreciated as Pinsir to get something like a Mega. Now more obviously a beetle, it picks up the Flying type to suit its fancy new pair of wings. I like the spiky feet and how wings aside, most of Pinsir is preserved. I mainly just don't like its new pair of mandibles. While they're perhaps a bit more fearsome looking, they just somehow look less thorny. I would've appreciated a more bristly look in general, but this doesn't quite deliver for me. But hey, they gave it some sick new eyes that are lovely in how angry it looks!