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Kleavor

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Kleavor
Pokémon character
Kleavor artwork by Ken Sugimori
First gamePokémon Legends: Arceus (2022)
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypeBug and Rock

Kleavor (/ˈkliːvɔːr/ ⓘ), known in Japan as Basagiri (Japanese: バサギリ), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a game set in the franchise's distant past, it has since appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as media related to the franchise.

Classified as a Bug- and Rock-type Pokémon, it is an evolution of the Pokémon Scyther, who first appeared in the games Pokémon Red and Blue, if Scyther is given a Black Augurite item. In Arceus, Kleavor is regarded as a "Noble Pokémon" and players first encounter it as a boss due to it being driven into a sudden frenzy.

Kleavor has received a primarily positive reception debut. It has been significantly analyzed for various elements of its design, such as in regard to its references to real-world insects and Japanese culture. Its design has also received both praise and criticism comparing to Scyther and its other evolution, Scizor, considering it either a suitable counterpart alongside the other two, or denouncing it as a sign of declining creativity in the Pokémon franchise over the years.

Conception and design

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From left to right: Scyther and its evolutions Scizor and Kleavor as they appear in the games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Kleavor is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998.[1] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.[2] Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.[3] A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.[2]

Called Basagiri in Japan,[4] Kleavor was introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a game set in the franchise's Hisui region and featuring Pokémon designs as they would have appeared over a hundred years prior to the events of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.[5][6] Classified as a Bug- and Rock-type Pokémon,[7] Kleavor stands 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) tall,[8] and resembles an anthropomorphic bipedal yellow and white praying mantis with two legs that end in dual-clawed feet with raised heels, and two arms that have brown large axe-like protrusions at the end. Its shoulders are encircled with rock-like brown protrusions, and similar protrusions cover its brow and lower jack, while a singular spit juts from the top of its otherwise bald head. On its back, it has a pair of small white wings jutting from each shoulder.[9] Kleavor evolves from Scyther, a Pokémon that first appeared in Pokémon Red and Blue, through the use of the game's "Black Augurite" item. Prior to Arceus, Scyther's only evolution option was Scizor, a Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver.[7]

Appearances

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Kleavor first appears in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a game set in the Hisui region, a distant past version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl's Sinnoh region.[6] Players first encounter it as a "Noble Pokémon", a special Pokémon worshipped by the locals. Driven into a frenzy by a space-time distortion in the skies of Hisui, the player is required to battle it in a boss battle, after which it is restored to normal.[10] Kleavor later reappears in the games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet via the Indigo Disk downloadable content. Though the Black Augurite item is not obtainable in these games, Kleavor can be encountered and caught in the wild.[11]

Kleavor also appears in spin-off games and media for the series, such as in Pokémon Go where instead of evolving it from Scyther the player can obtain it by defeating it in special raid battles.[12] Kleavor also appears in the Pokémon Horizons: The Series, where a stronger version of the species is owned by a Pokémon trainer named Lucius who hails from the ancient past.[13] Meanwhile, several cards for it appear in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.[14][15][16]

Critical reception

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Kleavor's design has been compared to the giant dead leaf mantis (left), a praying mantis species known for utilizing camouflage.[9] Meanwhile, other aspects have been compared to the Ainu people (right), an indigenous people native to the area of Japan the Hisui region takes inspiration from.[17]

Kleavor was mostly well received since its debut. Ryan Woodrow in an article for Sports Illustrated praised its design, stating it continued a trend of each part of Scyther's evolution line being unique: "Scyther has speed and bug-based appeal, Scizor is sturdy and strong, and Kleavor looks like an absolute monster." He additionally liked how its double axe design made it look "vicious", and how well Arceus showcased the species.[18] In another article for USA Today, he further called it a great "alternative take on Scyther's evolution", and wanted to see concepts like it explored in future installments.[19] Hana Kim of Paste meanwhile argued that while Scizor "refined and smoothed out" Scyther's design, Kleavor represented a roughening up of it due to its exaggerated axes and "rocky, craggy protrusions", making it feel closer to Scyther's appearance than Scizor.[20] Abdur Rozaq Aji Samudra and Muh Ariffudin Islam, writing for the Indonesian visual communication design journal Jurnal Barik, praised how it referenced the giant dead leaf mantis, a real-world species of praying mantis known for using camouflage, with Kleavor's rock-like aspects helping it do similar with the terrain found in Arceus.[9]

Yash Nair of Dot eSports considered Kleavor to be one of the best Rock-type Pokémon in the franchise, stating that Scyther's evolutionary line "never disappoints", and that "once again, Game Freak hit a home run" with its debut. He opined that to him Kleavor was an even better design than Scizor, and represented the idea of a Noble Pokémon well.[21] However, TheGamer's Editor in Chief Stacey Henley was more critical, stating that it only served to add another "gimmick" to the franchise, something she felt had worn thin. She described Scyther's other evolution Scizor as "one of the best looking and most popular Pokémon of its type" and questioned why an alternative evolution line was necessary, feeling it continued a trend of questionable choices regarding Pokémon species redesigns. Going further she stated that she would have preferred an additional evolution in Scyther's line instead of an alternative, as "splitting Scyther’s evolutionary path doesn’t seem like a worthwhile endeavour - especially when that endeavour leads to Kleavor." Henley elaborated that Kleavor was "bumpy and obnoxiously overdesigned where Scyther is sleek and simple". She felt that it looked more akin to a Digimon, characters from a rival brand of the Pokémon franchise. Coupled with questioning the necessity of the Noble Pokémon concept, she felt that for a franchise known for its great character design it seemed unable to "put its best foot forward".[8]

References to Japanese culture

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Samudra and Islam also examined Kleavor's design in the context of indigenous culture in Japan's history. They observed that its design such as its rock decorations and stone axes appeared to reference many aspects of the Ainu people, a tribe who inhabited the island of Hokkaido that faced discrimination and forced assimilation during Japan's Meiji Restoration era. They felt these references helped illustrate Kleavor as a remnant of a past "abandoned by Japanese society in modern times."[9] Meanwhile, Edward G. McGowan and Lewis J. Alcott in the journal Geoscience Communication Discussions appreciated these tribal correlations. In particular, they compared Kleavor's reliance on Black Augurite to the tribe's reliance on obsidian to make primitive tools. They felt this correlation not only helped teach aspects of Hokkaido's geology, but also illustrated how games could be used to teach geology and geoscience.[17]

The staff of Inside meanwhile pointed that its Japanese name seemed to be a reference to the phrase "Tourou no Ono", which meant when one "attacks recklessly without knowing oneself" and often represented characters that could be seen as either a hero or a fool. While in the game it was presented as a fierce opponent, the fact that Arceus was set in the past and Kleavor did not appear naturally in games set in the current timeline suggested to them that its reckless behavior may have led to its own extinction, something they felt gave Kleavor a tragic aspect.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A Look Back At The 20-Year Journey To Catch 'Em All". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Allison, Anne (May 2006). Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination. University of California Press. pp. 192–197. ISBN 9780520938991.
  3. ^ Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook. Scholastic Inc. July 28, 2015. p. 5. ISBN 9780545795661.
  4. ^ a b 『ポケモン』バサギリは勇者？それとも愚者？元ネタとなったちょっぴり切ない故事成語 [Is Pokemon's Kleavor a Hero? Or a Fool? The Slightly Sad Idiom That Inspired It]. Inside (in Japanese). July 4, 2022. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Lynn, Lottie (February 17, 2024). "Pokémon Go Hisuian Pokémon Forms List". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Kurten, Guillermo (May 17, 2024). "How Pokémon Legends: Arceus Connects To Other Games In The Series". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  7. ^ a b James, Dean (January 28, 2022). "How To Get Scyther Evolution Kleavor In Pokemon Legends Arceus". DualShockers. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Henley, Stacey (September 28, 2021). "Kleavor, The Latest Pokemon With Yet Another Gimmick, Looks Bad". TheGamer. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Samudra, Abdur Rozaq Aji; Islam, Muh Ariffudin (2023). "Analisis Desain Visual Karakter Kleavor Dalam Game Pokémon Legends: Arceus" [Visual Design Analysis of Kleavor Character in Pokémon Legends: Arceus Game]. Jurnal Barik-Jurnal S1 Desain Komunikasi Visual [Jurnal Barik-Journal of Visual Communication Design] (in Indonesian). 5 (1). Tahun: 298–309. eISSN 2747-1195. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Vach, Melissa (January 30, 2022). "Pokémon Legends: Arceus - How to Defeat Kleavor". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  11. ^ Koepp, Brent (December 18, 2023). "How to Evolve Scyther into Kleavor in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet". Siliconera. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  12. ^ Luke, Cole (April 15, 2024). "How to get Kleavor in Pokémon Go | Raid weaknesses, counters and more | Radio Times". Radio Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Edmundson, Carlyle (October 24, 2023). "Pokémon Horizons Unveils The Full Team Of The Strongest Trainer Ever". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Dwyer, Theo (September 10, 2022). "The Cards Of Pokémon TCG: Astral Radiance Part 47: Kleavor CR". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  15. ^ Dwyer, Theo (February 9, 2022). "The First Look At Hisuian Pokémon TCG Cards: Kleavor & Wyrdeer". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  16. ^ Dwyer, Theo (April 3, 2022). "Pokémon TCG Time Gazer & Space Juggler Preview: Kleavor V". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  17. ^ a b McGowan, Edward G.; Alcott, Lewis J. (June 7, 2022). "The Potential for Using Video Games to Teach Geoscience: Learning About the Geology and Geomorphology of Hokkaido (Japan) From Playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus". Geoscience Communication Discussions. 5 (4): 327. doi:10.5194/gc-5-325-2022.
  18. ^ Woodrow, Ryan (August 6, 2023). "The 10 Best Rock Pokémon of All Time". Video Games on Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Woodrow, Ryan (September 24, 2022). "The Top Ten Rock Pokémon, Ranked". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  20. ^ Kim, Hana (February 28, 2022). "The Best New Pokémon Forms in Pokémon Legends: Arceus". Paste. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Nair, Yash (June 20, 2022). "The Best Rock-type Pokémon of All Time, Ranked". Dot eSports. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
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