976: Veluza

We have a tendency to enjoy whenever a Pokemon generation has a grounded fish somewhere in its roster, but Veluza is a little more interesting than just being the newest sea fodder on the dock.

Veluza is simple at a glance, being a hake fish with a silver, scaly surface, and big, perfectly round eyes. Its fins are little more than big purple triangles, but they get the point across. It's a funny, basic fish critter, but it DOES have a neat twist.

It has a secondary Psychic typing, and that's because it essentially uses psychokinesis to fillet its own fishy flesh off, revealing more polygonal shapes beneath. The concept is super funny, but feels a little held back both by how tame its exposed innards look, and how it doesn't STAY this way as a separate form or anything. You'd think it would stay filleted when it uses its move, "Filet Away," but it simply instantaneously grows its flesh back.

And not that we're asking for Pokemon to appear more gorey and gruesome than kids can handle, but like. Kids these days have surely seen a cartoon fishbone, right? Hell, kids these days play games with surprisingly gross visuals for a children's game, we think they could handle Veluza looking a little more skeletal.

It's a really cool fish with a really funny idea, but it feels a little held back by the somewhat non-committal execution.