Weezing

For the onomatopoeia, seeWheezing.

Weezing
Pokémoncharacter
First game	Pokémon RedandBlue
Designed by	Ken Sugimori(finalized)
In-universe information
Species	Pokémon
Type	Poison Poison/Fairy (Galarian)

Weezing,known in Japan asMatadogas(Japanese:マタドガス),is aPokémon speciesinNintendoandGame Freak'sPokémonfranchise. First introduced in the video gamesPokémon RedandBlue,it evolves from the PokémonKoffing,both having the Poison type. Since Weezing's debut, it has appeared in multiple games includingPokémon Goand thePokémon Trading Card Game,as well as media related to the franchise, including as a regular character in theTV series.InPokémon SwordandShield,a new variant of Weezing are introduced as part of a form called "Galarian," referring to the region Galar featured in the game. It retains its Poison type while gaining the Fairy type, and features some design differences.

Since its appearance, it has been generally well received, with the Galarian variation being especially popular due to its commentary on theUnited Kingdomand the environment. It has also been noted for its competitive viability, particularly thanks to the original form's Levitate ability and the Galarian form's Neutralizing Gas ability.

Conception and development

Weezing is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for thePokémonmedia franchise. Developed byGame Freakand published byNintendo,the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video gamesPokémon RedandGreenfor theGame Boy,which were later released in North America asPokémon RedandBluein 1998.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 calledevolutionvia various means, such as exposure to specific items.Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.A major goal in each game is to complete thePokédex,a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.

When making the games, the design first started as pixel artspritesby the development team, created with a single color identity chosen to work within theSuper Game Boyhardware limitations.Once development was complete,Ken Sugimorire-drew the species along with the others in his own artstyle in order to give the game a unified look and finalize any design elements, while also trying to maintain the original artist's unique style.In English, Weezing was originally going to be named "La," referring toLos Angeles,along with Koffing's name originally named Ny, referring toNew York.These names came from the high levels of air pollution in these areas.

Weezing is a Poison-type Pokémon that evolves from the PokémonKoffing,also a Poison type, via level up.Like Koffing, it is a hovering purple ball containing poison, featuring a skull and bones pattern on its body. With evolution, it gains a second, smaller head.InRubyandSapphire,it gained the ability Levitate, protecting it from Ground-type attacks.It received a Galarian form inPokémon SwordandShield,which retained its Poison type while also gaining a secondary Fairy type. It also gained a new ability called Neutralizing Gas, causing other Pokémon's abilities to not work. Galarian Weezing has two heads with protrusions from the top of their heads, resembling bothsmokestacksandtop hats.Its color was changed to grey, while it gained green smog, which also created faux facial hair. It retains the skull and bones sign found on Koffing and the original Weezing design. These elements were designed to make it fit into aUnited Kingdom-based environment.Video game designer Shigeru Ohmori stated that this design was inspired by seeing asteam engine,and feeling that this reflected the theme of the "strongest Pokémon" featured inSwordandShield.According to the Pokedex, Galarian Weezing came about in response to air pollution from factories, consuming the contaminants and expelling clean air.

Appearances

Weezing appears in bothRedandBluein the wild or through evolution,but can only be obtained inPokémon Yellowvia trading.It appears in the sequelsGoldandSilver,as well asCrystal,where Weezing can be found in the wild. It later appears inPokémon RubyandSapphire.InSwordandShield,a new form called Galarian Weezing was introduced, which is able to be obtained by evolving Koffing in the games.Both forms appear in other media for the series, including the mobile gamePokémon Go,and thePokémon Trading Card Game.

In thePokémonTV series,Weezing is owned by James, a member ofTeam Rocketand ally to Jessie. Originally a Koffing, it was James' only Pokémon, withEkansbeing owned by Jessie and its counterpart.Both aided Jessie and James in their plots throughout the series,with Koffing and Ekans eventually evolving to become Weezing andArbok.Weezing and Arbok are later released by the pair in the episode "A Poached Ego" so that they can protect a group of Koffing and Ekans that are threatened by Pokémon poachers.James and Weezing later appeared in the gamePokémon Masters EX,where the pair are playable characters. They are obtainable via a special in-game event.

Critical reception

Weezing's Galarian form received commentary by critics for its United Kingdom-based design

Weezing has received generally positive reception.Nintendo Lifestaff discussed Weezing, with writer Alex Olney commenting that he found it a significant improvement over Koffing's design, a sentiment shared by writer Zion Grassl. Writer Jon Cartwright felt that Weezing followed a trend of Pokémon designs in the first generation ofPokémongames of putting multiple entities of a species on a design to convey evolution, which Olney agreed with while believing that it was a more creative execution on the idea. Olney believed that the second body represented a Koffing growing big enough to split off part of its body into a new body throughmitosis.As part of their "Pokémon of the Day" series,IGNstaff felt that Weezing was an especially popular Pokémon among viewers of thePokémonanime series, noting that it, alongside Arbok, were around in the series for a longer period than any Pokémon protagonistAsh Ketchumowned, with the sole exception of hisPikachu.Despite stating she had a soft spot for Weezing because of this, she felt that its role in the video games was "just another forgettable" Poison-type Pokémon inRedandBlue.She believed that it saw improvements inRubyandSapphire,thanks to its newfound immunity to the Ground-type attack Earthquake.

Galarian Weezing has been generally well-received, argued byFanbytewriter Imran Khan as being an example of a good regional Pokémon.Dualshockerswriter Logan Moore was not a fan of regional variants, but made an exception for Weezing, finding Galarian Weezing to be an entertaining design. He praised the depth of the design, particularly in the form of the incorporation of smokestacks.Anime News Networkwriters Lynzee Loveridge and James Beckett regarded Galarian Weezing as one of the best Poison-type Pokémon, praising its design as a particularly good regional variant. They highlighted in particular the "industrial era-London smokestacks" and "oil baron" concepts that were present within its design.GamesRadar+writer Heather Wald wrote that many fans of the series enjoyed the design, highlighting many interpretations and comparisons being made out of its design for humorous effect by fans.Nintendo Lifewriter Rebecca Stow praised Galarian Weezing's design, appreciating its London influences - particularly the resemblance to the "iconic" smokestacks of theBattersea Power Station.She felt it was one of the most hilarious designs she had ever seen from the series, expressing excitement to be able to use it uponSwordandShield's release.Destructoidwriter CJ Andriessen discussed how Galarian Weezing provided commentary on climate change, particularly via the smokestacks in the United Kingdom during theindustrial revolution.Yessenia Funes spoke similarly, believing Galarian Weezing to be associated with climate change, predominantly in the form of long-lasting consequences for past events, which they believed tied into wider theming withinSwordandShieldthat had been already been established via elements such asGalarian Corsola.

Galarian Weezing's competitive viability has been the subject of commentary.Dot Esportswriter Cale Michael suggested that Galarian Weezing's new ability could help improve the competitive standing of Pokémon such asArcheops,Slaking,andRegigigasin battle, as the latter three had abilities that hindered their combat capabilities.He also felt that its new Fairy type helped it on its own merit as well, thanks in part to its immunity to Dragon-type attacks.TheGamerwriter Callum Archer felt that, despite believing that Weezing was originally a decent Pokémon, Galarian Weezing represented an improvement in competitive play across the board, finding it greatly improved in its type, moveset, and abilities. He stated he greatly preferred the Galarian design, believing that while the original Weezing is "classic," it hadn't aged as well, finding the Galarian Weezing to be a "fun twist" on the concept.

External links

• Weezing on Pokemon.com
• Weezingat Bulbapedia, aPokémonwiki