Friday Creature Feature - Chikorita

While I was busy at work a couple weeks ago, my little brother was texting me updates from Pokemon Presents. Like many fans, I was surprised to hear that Chikorita would be one of the starters for the next Legends game. I had already planned on spotlighting the little leaf Pokemon for St. Patrick's Day, but with Kalos expecting Chikorita's arrival this post will be even more timely.

Chikorita is one of the starter Pokemon from the Johto region, given to the player by Professor Elm, though in the Hoenn games (and remakes) they can be a gift from Professor Birch. Pokedex entries from the game tell of Chikorita's leaf emitting a sweet fragrance. I imagine it can lull the enemy Pokemon into a false sense of security--or maybe it could help me decompress after work. The leaf can also be used to sense the temperature and the climate. Like other starter Pokemon, Chikorita evolves by simply leveling up, first into Bayleef and later into Meganium.

In the anime, there are two major appearances for Chikorita. Early during the Johto story arc, Ash and his friends met Casey, an avid and annoying baseball fan, who had received her Chikorita from Professor Elm. Casey and her partner later appeared during the Bug Catching Contest, during which it evolved into Bayleef. Later on during the Johto anime and Pokemon Chronicles, Casey appeared again with her Bayleef already evolved into Meganium. I know plenty of fans have issues with Chikorita and I wouldn't be surprised if this first impression alongside Casey didn't help the matter.

Chikorita's other major appearance was when Ash caught his own. Not too long after meeting Casey and her partner, Ash and his friends encountered another Chikorita. Stubborn as she was, Chikorita tried to fight Ash's Charizard, who couldn't be bothered with her. After Ash saved her from Team Rocket, Chikorita started to calm down the stubbornness and was caught by the would-be Pokemon Master. Her stubbornness persisted and manifested at times as jealousy for Ash's closeness with Pikachu. At first she tried to fight for Ash's affection, but she later chilled out the jealousy... though the aggressive affection persisted even after she evolved into Bayleef. She stayed a staple of Ash's team through the end of the Johto League. With how attached she was to Ash, I can't imagine she liked staying behind at Professor Oak's lab with only sporadic appearances as Ash traveled from region to region.

Now the question: Why do people hate Chikorita so much? I've heard the argument that she's the worst choice in Gold/Silver/Crystal based on the gym types, but so was Charmander and he's popular. Maybe it's her obsession and jealousy when it comes to Ash, but I feel like many haters never watched the anime consistently. My daughter loves Chikorita though, so she's okay in my book. Maybe she'll get some love with Pokemon Legends Z-A. At the very least, it's hinted that she'll get a mega evolution. So I think we can look forward to a Kalosian Meganinum and/or Mega Meganium. 

In the meantime, I need to get saving for a Switch 2 so I can play the game.