Why I Hate The Ultra Beasts

[Boynsy]

I think it's just finally clicked in my head why I absolutely despise the Ultra Beasts - there's a whole host of reasons, some of which apply to other Pokemon too, but in general I think the UBs go down as one of the worst ideas in Gen 7 - at least in their current form.

Firstly, they don't look right. I know they are meant to look "other universely" and they do, in the sense that they don't look like Pokemon. But they just look off, to my mind.

Then there's the typings - my criticism here is twofold. On the one hand, the UBs seem to have more or less been given a somewhat random, arbitrary type combination just because. Only Xurkitree shares its type "combination" with more than 3 other Pokemon - the other UBs have been given an obscure type combination just to make them seem weird, rather than because it fits. Nihilego, for example, as a Rock/Poison type just plain doesn't make sense to me.

On top of that, why would Pokemon from another universe even adhere to the same types as this world? If they wanted to make the Beasts seem odd, surely they could have introduced a type to reflect that, somewhat like the Shadow type perhaps? The way I see it, the alternate universe could have any laws of physics, and would have been subject to billions of years of development completely separated from ours, and has somehow ended up with the same type alignments and the only distinction is that they are weirdly, arbitrarily assigned.

Then there's another minor gripe with the Pokedex listings - there's something about listing the 7 UBs with the rest of the creatures that makes me feel off about it. This applies to legendaries to some degree too, but I don't understand why a creature from another universe gets the same weighting in the Dex as a caterpillar. Plus, it seems wayyy too convenient that when building the Pokedex, there was no way that anyone could have foreseen 7 unidentified beasts, but they manage to come in just in time to nicely round out the Dex to an even 300.

I'm sure if I tried, I could come up with other reasons for thinking the game would have been better off without the Ultra Beasts, but I don't want to have to think about those things any longer than I have to. I'm interested to hear your opinions though!

 

[xXLunaSolXx]

I can't stand Ultra Beasts being labelled as Pokemon. It doesn't seem right imo. They don't belong in Pokemon.

 

[Kieran]

They are Pokemon from another dimension I guess.
It's like aliens are called aliens here. I mean...

 

[Nah]

but my nonsense aside, I will never understand the "it's not a pokemon/doesn't look like a pokemon tho!" argument that gets used literally every generation for new pokes people don't like

this though:

On top of that, why would Pokemon from another universe even adhere to the same types as this world? If they wanted to make the Beasts seem odd, surely they could have introduced a type to reflect that, somewhat like the Shadow type perhaps? The way I see it, the alternate universe could have any laws of physics, and would have been subject to billions of years of development completely separated from ours, and has somehow ended up with the same type alignments and the only distinction is that they are weirdly, arbitrarily assigned.

Is a valid point. The unfortunate thing is that the explanation for it is simply just that the moment they decided to make the UBs catchable and usable in battle by players, they had to give them Pokemon moves and typings. And introducing another new type would be a bit much. There's no real reason for them to adhere to the rules of the Pokemon world otherwise =/

 

[Oblox]

I dont really like any of the designs of them, the whole UB quest was just a lazy version of post game content (why do I want to catch multiples of the same thing? At least make them a really challenging fight and not have to catch them all).

The whole pokedex thing is more a 'game' tool than a story tool though so i dont mind that. I was hoping for another Delta arc style post game quest but sadly we got lumbered with UB's.

They should have at least had us go through to the UB dimension or the alternate day/night world as part of it or something that required Solgaleo/Lunalas power. Maybe looking for a way to stop the Ultra wormholes appearing.

 

[Radiating]

I like the ultra beasts in terms of their part in the storyline, but their designs could have been a little less...random. I would have liked them more to be like deoxys, a true alien. The only ultra beast I liked was pheremosa, which is one of my favorite "pokemon" at the moment.

 

[Lunar]

Ever since they were announced, I haven't liked the Ultra Beasts, but I've just kinda accepted them as part of Sun and Moon and tried to enjoy the plot surrounding them as much as possible. Although they don't seem to fit into the Pokemon games, it's a decision the developers made so we just have to live with it I guess - plus I don't really see them returning.

 

[nihileest]

I think it's just finally clicked in my head why I absolutely despise the Ultra Beasts - there's a whole host of reasons, some of which apply to other Pokemon too, but in general I think the UBs go down as one of the worst ideas in Gen 7 - at least in their current form.

Firstly, they don't look right. I know they are meant to look "other universely" and they do, in the sense that they don't look like Pokemon. But they just look off, to my mind.

Then there's the typings - my criticism here is twofold. On the one hand, the UBs seem to have more or less been given a somewhat random, arbitrary type combination just because. Only Xurkitree shares its type "combination" with more than 3 other Pokemon - the other UBs have been given an obscure type combination just to make them seem weird, rather than because it fits. Nihilego, for example, as a Rock/Poison type just plain doesn't make sense to me.

On top of that, why would Pokemon from another universe even adhere to the same types as this world? If they wanted to make the Beasts seem odd, surely they could have introduced a type to reflect that, somewhat like the Shadow type perhaps? The way I see it, the alternate universe could have any laws of physics, and would have been subject to billions of years of development completely separated from ours, and has somehow ended up with the same type alignments and the only distinction is that they are weirdly, arbitrarily assigned.

Then there's another minor gripe with the Pokedex listings - there's something about listing the 7 UBs with the rest of the creatures that makes me feel off about it. This applies to legendaries to some degree too, but I don't understand why a creature from another universe gets the same weighting in the Dex as a caterpillar. Plus, it seems wayyy too convenient that when building the Pokedex, there was no way that anyone could have foreseen 7 unidentified beasts, but they manage to come in just in time to nicely round out the Dex to an even 300.

I'm sure if I tried, I could come up with other reasons for thinking the game would have been better off without the Ultra Beasts, but I don't want to have to think about those things any longer than I have to. I'm interested to hear your opinions though!

I'd actually refute this, although I can understand why you feel this way about them. My argument is simply put: Deoxys (and to some extent Jirachi except it's adorable so I'm going to leave it out...).

If you think back to when Deoxys was originally introduced it was actually a very similar introduction. At the time the most otherworldly sprites around were things like Absol, Unown, Claydol and Alakazam. Deoxys sticks out like a sore thumb next to all these, but as more pokemon have been introduced it has become normalised. Even the stats are similar! (just compare Pheromosa and Deoxys).

Ultimately I do agree that they look a little out of place at the moment, but as I expect GameFreak to add more Ultra Beasts in future titles I do not think they will seem half so odd in a few years time.

P.S.

Pheromosa is amazing!

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Then there's the typings - my criticism here is twofold. On the one hand, the UBs seem to have more or less been given a somewhat random, arbitrary type combination just because. Only Xurkitree shares its type "combination" with more than 3 other Pokemon - the other UBs have been given an obscure type combination just to make them seem weird, rather than because it fits. Nihilego, for example, as a Rock/Poison type just plain doesn't make sense to me.

Actually, its Rock typing makes sense. If you read its dex entry, Nihilego's body is made of glass. Glass is made from sand, which are small particle rock particles.

On top of that, why would Pokemon from another universe even adhere to the same types as this world? If they wanted to make the Beasts seem odd, surely they could have introduced a type to reflect that, somewhat like the Shadow type perhaps? The way I see it, the alternate universe could have any laws of physics, and would have been subject to billions of years of development completely separated from ours, and has somehow ended up with the same type alignments and the only distinction is that they are weirdly, arbitrarily assigned.

Game Freak only introduces types if a certain type becomes too dominant in the metagame. Steel and Dark types were introduced to counter Psychic types who were OP in Gen I, and Fairy types were introduced to counter Dragon types who were OP in Gen IV and Gen V when new members were introduced. Now Steel is the most dominant type in the current metagame, and your supposed Shadow type would do nothing to counter it.

I'm sure if I tried, I could come up with other reasons for thinking the game would have been better off without the Ultra Beasts, but I don't want to have to think about those things any longer than I have to. I'm interested to hear your opinions though!

And have fans to once again feel tired about legendaries being the center of the plot even though they didn't like how Xerneas and Yveltal served very little purpose to XY's plot?

 

[Boynsy]

Well, a whole bunch of people gave some pretty good responses! There are far too many points for me to go through them all in the depth I'd like to, but I'll give it a go.

About the typing - I can see why people would be against the idea of introducing a new type purely for the UBs. On the other hand though, I stand by my point that beasts from another universe could conceivably be completely unrecognizable types. I wasn't thinking of adding a type in terms of the metagame - more for the UBs to make more sense in game.

Perhaps it's because I was never really into RSE, but I've never had much of a problem with Deoxys, aside from my general gripes with legendaries as a whole. It does look as though it is from out of this world, although in my mind it's not too much.

I think my issue with the looks of the UBs are because I can't see what they're based on. They seem too abstract - I can't think of any pokemon that aren't really based on an animal or an object apart from maybe Claydol.

Maybe I would have been happier if they were uncatchable, but probably not. I do think they could have been part of the plot more, although I hadn't considered that beforehand. They are sort of shoehorned in, and just seem a strange addition.

All in all, I'm just kind of unsatisfied by their inclusion in the game - they don't seem to make sense to me and I don't understand their role.

 

[Boynsy]

If they were uncatchable, then they wouldn't really be treated like Pokemon... unless your point is that you're unsatisfied because they are treated like Pokemon when they shouldn't be?

I kind of think that, yeah... I mean, by any measure I can think of, the UBs are barely Pokemon, yet are treated exactly like they are. My point about giving them the same weight as a Caterpie explains it to me at least, but I'm not very good at conveying my feelings about this!

 

[Kieran]

Well guys, all the comments about Ultra Beasts not fitting into the Pokemon World, well, isn't that what they intended for them to?

I mean, they are weird, they doesn't look like the Pokemon in the actual Pokemon World, or maybe they mutated (Well think Giratina) when they got moved into the Pokemon World too?

I accept them fine the way they are (Though Kartana still give me the chill down my spine because they still look more like Paper Dolls to be offered to the dead more than origami).

Maybe a sequence would be in place to explain them better, hopefully.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Well, a whole bunch of people gave some pretty good responses! There are far too many points for me to go through them all in the depth I'd like to, but I'll give it a go.

About the typing - I can see why people would be against the idea of introducing a new type purely for the UBs. On the other hand though, I stand by my point that beasts from another universe could conceivably be completely unrecognizable types. I wasn't thinking of adding a type in terms of the metagame - more for the UBs to make more sense in game.

Perhaps it's because I was never really into RSE, but I've never had much of a problem with Deoxys, aside from my general gripes with legendaries as a whole. It does look as though it is from out of this world, although in my mind it's not too much.

I think my issue with the looks of the UBs are because I can't see what they're based on. They seem too abstract - I can't think of any pokemon that aren't really based on an animal or an object apart from maybe Claydol.

Maybe I would have been happier if they were uncatchable, but probably not. I do think they could have been part of the plot more, although I hadn't considered that beforehand. They are sort of shoehorned in, and just seem a strange addition.

All in all, I'm just kind of unsatisfied by their inclusion in the game - they don't seem to make sense to me and I don't understand their role.

Each of the Ultra Beasts is based on a real-life concept, like other Pokemon (paraphrased from Bulbapedia):
-Physically, Nihilego is based on a real-life common jellyfish. Its parasitic behavior is based on Myxobolus cerebralis, which inflicts whirling disease in fish, similar to how Nihilego makes its hosts act impulsively and without inhibition. Its fused form with Lusamine resembles the immortal jellyfish.
-Buzzwole is more straightforward; it's a buff mosquito, as evidenced by its habit of flexing.
-Pheromosa is a humanoid cockroach, which is also known to move very fast in real life. Its white coloring also resembles a cockroach that has recently molted.
-Xurkitree is basically living power cables, as evidenced on how it broke into a power plant to feed on its electricity. Its ability to turn into a tree-like state also explains why it learns some Grass moves.
-Celesteela is based on the legend of Princess Kaguya, or the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, due to its bamboo-like and princess-like appearance. In said story, the titular character was discovered in a bamboo stalk by a bamboo cutter. Its rocket like appearance is also based on a Japanese spacecraft, SELENE (also known as Kaguya).
-Kartana is an origami samurai, as its movepool is mainly composed of cutting moves. Its face resembles noshi, a ceremonial origami made for good luck. Its incredibly sharp body is also based on paper cuts, which are very small, but also very painful if they happen.
-Guzzlord is based on a black hole because of its voracious appetite and excreting nothing between meals.

The types that the Ultra Beasts currently have make sense, too:
-Pheromosa and Buzzwole are insects that specialize in hand to hand combat
-Electricity is the best way to describe Xurkitree, given its basis
-Celesteela is essentially a machine that flies
-Swords are made of metal, hence why Kartana is part Steel. It's part Grass because paper comes from trees.
-Guzzlord resembles a Dragon, hence its Dragon type; its Dark type is there because it brutally smashes things in its way while it eats.

 

[Ultimo Spriter]

A bit meta with the ingame cannon but the way I've accepted the UBs is to just assume that the Ultra Space isn't a different dimension but another location in the pokemon universe. The game implies that the Ultra Space and the Ultra Wormholes have only recently been studied so it's safe to assume that Burnett, Lusamine and co. don't have a full understanding of what it is.
This would then result in the UBs being standard types and using standard moves since they would exist in the universe that Arceus created. This explanation then also provides justification to the typing/movesets of the other extraterrestrial Pokemon.

 

[Boynsy]

Each of the Ultra Beasts is based on a real-life concept, like other Pokemon (paraphrased from Bulbapedia):
-Physically, Nihilego is based on a real-life common jellyfish. Its parasitic behavior is based on Myxobolus cerebralis, which inflicts whirling disease in fish, similar to how Nihilego makes its hosts act impulsively and without inhibition. Its fused form with Lusamine resembles the immortal jellyfish.
-Buzzwole is more straightforward; it's a buff mosquito, as evidenced by its habit of flexing.
-Pheromosa is a humanoid cockroach, which is also known to move very fast in real life. Its white coloring also resembles a cockroach that has recently molted.
-Xurkitree is basically living power cables, as evidenced on how it broke into a power plant to feed on its electricity. Its ability to turn into a tree-like state also explains why it learns some Grass moves.
-Celesteela is based on the legend of Princess Kaguya, or the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, due to its bamboo-like and princess-like appearance. In said story, the titular character was discovered in a bamboo stalk by a bamboo cutter. Its rocket like appearance is also based on a Japanese spacecraft, SELENE (also known as Kaguya).
-Kartana is an origami samurai, as its movepool is mainly composed of cutting moves. Its face resembles noshi, a ceremonial origami made for good luck. Its incredibly sharp body is also based on paper cuts, which are very small, but also very painful if they happen.
-Guzzlord is based on a black hole because of its voracious appetite and excreting nothing between meals.

The types that the Ultra Beasts currently have make sense, too:
-Pheromosa and Buzzwole are insects that specialize in hand to hand combat
-Electricity is the best way to describe Xurkitree, given its basis
-Celesteela is essentially a machine that flies
-Swords are made of metal, hence why Kartana is part Steel. It's part Grass because paper comes from trees.
-Guzzlord resembles a Dragon, hence its Dragon type; its Dark type is there because it brutally smashes things in its way while it eats.

Well, thanks for the explanation. I suppose they do kind of make sense but they still overall feel a bit arbitrary and contrived, as if the designers almost tried to create Pokemon to fit what they wanted, rather than come up with the design and then base the story around that.

It also ties in to my thoughts about why the types aren't more exotic, but Xurkitree gridns my gears a little. Here on earth we can't even agree on the best design for our power sockets, so why would creatures from another universe closely resemble what we use?

A bit meta with the ingame cannon but the way I've accepted the UBs is to just assume that the Ultra Space isn't a different dimension but another location in the pokemon universe. The game implies that the Ultra Space and the Ultra Wormholes have only recently been studied so it's safe to assume that Burnett, Lusamine and co. don't have a full understanding of what it is.
This would then result in the UBs being standard types and using standard moves since they would exist in the universe that Arceus created. This explanation then also provides justification to the typing/movesets of the other extraterrestrial Pokemon.

I suppose, but I'd rather not have to find a way to "accept" them. I'd much rather like them without having to try. As it is, they are lumped into a very small group of Pokemon I flat out dislike - they are my 7 most strongly disliked Pokemon, and outside of few others (Magnezone, Type: Null etc) are the only ones that I actually wish didn't exist.

In my mind, there are certain things that I want from a Pokemon, and the UBs don't even come close.

 

[Cognitive]

They did the same thing in the 5th and 6th gen games. Here, have some legends.Why? Whoknows.How do they fit into the greater pokemon universe? Who knows. But they look cool so who cares? :p Seems to me they've lost their focus on the story and just throw in legends because not that many people will question it.

 

[CharnaySeba]

UBs are love.

UBs are life.

I love you Xurkitree

 

[smocks]

The thing that bothers me with the Ultra-Beasts is that you can capture them...
The whole "oh-we've developed a Poké-ball or this outta thin air!" is unsettling to me. The Ultra-Beasts at first had that type of "Legendary vibe", from not being able to capture it + its from another dimension, that was taken away in seconds from the Beast Ball. Plus, it's also unsettling from them being from a different dimension, making them forced to stay in the Pokémon universe after they insist not to mix the two dimensions ...

 

[Natmaz]

To each their own. I can see why you would dislike them, mostly design-wise, they really don't look like pokemon, even their own method of numbering appeared weird to me. I don't really hate them per se, but I do dislike Guzzlord a whole lot. It's neither good competetively, neither does it look good, it seems disgusting to me.

I've never thought I would even like any of them initially, but I fell in love with Xurkitree, and it's my strongest pokemon to date. Maybe I'm just weird though.

I do hope GF actually creates more UBs in the future, I'm curious how bizzare new additions would look!

 

[mew_nani]

I think the Ultra Beasts are sort of analogues to the numerous glitch Pokemon that appeared in Gen I. They share odd typings, wonky stats, weird movepools, and while they obviously don't look like glitchy blobs they still look extremely alien compared to regular Pokemon. They even have odd, impossible abilities, much like Missingno. with its item duplication and Charizard 'M with it's Pokemon fusion. It doesn't really bother me that much that you can catch them considering what else you can catch (creatures right out of Jewish mythology, the personifications of life and death, abominations controlling time and space, the Pokemon equivalent of Azathoth.) Heck if anything they're even harder to catch due to needing a special Pokeball just for them, while the Gen I glitches could be caught with just a regular Pokeball.