Pokemon SunandMoonproducer Junichi Masuda addresses the rumor that the Pokemon Yungoos and its evolved form Gumshoos are based on the appearance of Donald Trump.
If the recentlyleaked Pokedexis any indication,Pokemon SunandMoonis introducing plenty of new Pokemon to the franchise. However, one Pokemon and its evolved form has been getting a little more attention than the rest, due to many people drawing similarities between it and current Republican presidential candidate for president of the United States, Donald Trump.
To some people, the Pokemon Yungoos fromPokemon SunandMoon, and its evolved form Gumshoos, bears a resemblance to Donald Trump, with a similar hairstyle and personality. The Pokedex describes Yungoos as being a “big eater that is never satisfied,” perhaps drawing parallels to Trump’s desire for political power despite being already being a billionaire. Yungoos is also said to have a bad temper, which is something that Trump’s opponents have accused him of on a number of occasions.
Until now, whether or not Yungoos was based on Donald Trump was up for debate. However,Pokemon SunandMoonproducer Junichi Masuda has cleared the air in a recent interview with Game Informer. According to Masuda, Yungoos isnotbased on the appearance or personality of Donald Trump, despite the apparent similarities between it and the current Republican nominee for president.
Masuda stated that he has been asked the question many times by Americans, and has seen photos online of Trump and Yungoos side-by-side, pointing out everything they have in common. However, Masuda said that the design ofYungoosstarted “a long time back,” apparently before Trump’s recent rise in popularity, and that the team at Game Freak didn’t make Yungoos resemble Trump intentionally.
Of course, it’s impossible to verify if Masuda is telling the truth, or just trying to avoid drumming up unnecessary controversy forPokemon SunandMoon. It wouldn’t be out of the question for a Pokemon to be modeled after the appearance of a politician, especially one that has also been a reality TV star and prominent businessman. Trump’s celebrity is much older than his presidential campaign, and perhaps Game Freak designed the Pokemon to resemble him before he became such a divisive political figure.
To that end, there are plenty ofridiculous Pokemon designsthat have been introduced to the franchise throughout the years. We’ve had Pokemon based on ice cream, keychains, and even bags of garbage. There are many humanoid Pokemon as well, so human-like Pokemon designs aren’t off limits. For now, we’ll have to take Masuda’s word for it that Yungoos isn’t based onDonald Trump, but fans should keep an eye out for other future Pokemon designs that resemble celebrities and politicians to see if a pattern starts to appear.
Pokemon SunandMoonwill be available on November 18th, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS.
