I can't wait to grow up and scream

290: Nincada

Suppose while they make a separate mushroom Pokemon, it's only fair to further split Paras and have a new cicada Pokemon as well! Having a new Pokemon of an animal as specific as a cicada this soon may seem odd, but this line is completely different. Even while still dealing with an undead theme!

Nincada itself is cute in its own right! It's a little less overtly insectoid than Paras, but its odd, eerie eyes and pale complexion really sell the "underground dweller" idea. And the vestigial wings are adorable too.

It's just a shame that, like Surskit, this NFE Pokemon is holding onto a fairly unique typing, especially since Bug/Ground is yet another typing with a lot of neat potential. Though for Nincada it doesn't really come into play in the design very much. It's mostly a nod to the fact that cicada nymphs spend most of their lives underground. Overall, Paras is cuter, but there's plenty to love about Nincada.

"AWWWW YEAAAAH"

291: Ninjask

Nincada is not cursed by a parasitic fungus that perpetuates its own infection, so it gets to grow up into a real, proper cicada, and as cicada fans, Ninjask is every bit as good as the real thing. The cool armored head with beady eyes and big wings are all the neat parts of a real-life cicada. Ninjask itself maybe doesn't do anything amazing with being a cicada, but it's still fantastic as just a fictional representation of a cicada.

Even then, it's more known for its ability Speed Boost than any sound-based moves. That said, the cool horned helmet look of the thing feels like it's meant to call Super Sentai heroes to mind, or the insectoid Kamen Riders. Maybe that's where its Speed Boost ability comes from! Either that or the rather obvious "ninja" part of its name, wherein ninjas as known by pop culture are essentially Japanese superheroes in and of themselves.

Personal Score: 8.5/10

An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away...

292: Shedinja

All arthropods molt their exoskeleton as they grow, but none are quite as infamous for it like cicadas. From mid-summer to autumn, you're likely to find cicada skin just lying about, attached to walls and tree trunks. Discarded so the bugs can take flight to serenade us all with their beautiful, serene, calming mating calls. When Nincada evolves and you have a space available in your party, what mysteriously appears in said slot in your party as if in a creepypasta is none other than Nincada's shed skin!

Our currently one and only Bug/Ghost type is none other than Shedinja, the emptied insect husk that's just inexplicably animated by some unknown supernatural force! What a PERFECT idea for a spectral insect! Made all the better with how much it really commits to the look of a bug's leftover skin that just sort of got up. The thing barely moves itself, rather just hovering ominously and having zero moving body parts like the hunk of chitin it is. Even its eyes just look soulless, no pupils or anything. Just holes that peer into a black void inside the husk.

Said void being a point the Pokedex itself point out. Shedinja has a hole in its back, obviously where Ninjask arose. But the Pokedex states peering into the hole in its back will suck your soul out. Personally, we've always headcanoned this as common superstition around the Pokemon, just given any trainer who's ever had a Shedinja would have 100% less soul. Like the Pokemon version of spreading misinformation about traditional creepy crawlies. But back to its design, CHECK out the torn skin around the hole and the way it forms "wings"! That's so clever!!!

The only part of the design we can take or leave is that halo, which feels like it's mostly there to reinforce its ghostly nature, but we feel like something more clever could've been done with it rather than being played so precisely straight. Its dull color scheme and empty eyes give it more than enough Spooky factor!

It's also unfortunate that Shedinja comes with a pretty costly gimmick. No matter what, Shedinja always has a max HP of exactly 1. Its ability, in turn, is Wonder Guard, which prevents damage from any attack that isn't super effective. Having 13 immunities out of all 18 types would be nothing to sneeze at, but no matter what, it's taken down in a single hit. And to worsen this, Wonder Guard doesn't protect Shedinja from non-attack damage like Poison, Hail, or Spikes. This all but ensures Shedinja is criminally unusable. Or at least extremely difficult to use. Which is a shame because BOY do we wanna put one of these fellas on our team but, alas.

Either way, Shedinja as a design is easily one of the most genius, clever monster designs in the entire series. It does exactly what it aims to do and excells at being cool without even a hint of trying too hard. Shedinja is simply nothing short of perfect.