Good day, Pokémon Trainers! Have you ever noticed how certain events in Pokémon GO give special attention to a single Pokémon or the community itself tends to hype a new Pokémon up? Have you ever wondered why this Pokémon specifically and what its origins are?
Well, that’s where the Dashing Design series comes in! I’ll be your guide as we take a look at the franchise history, concept, and potential design inspirations of specific Pokémon. This is the first one of the new year and the 10th one overall! So, in honor of this and the fairly fairy-focused event for the middle of January let’s talk about one of the Pokémon that’s going to be a research encounter and one of my personal favorites, Carbink!
Carbink
Franchise History
Diancie (Center) and Carbink (Others). Source: Movie Trailer
We’re going right back to the Sixth Generation right after the previous Dashing Design, as Carbink, and its closely related species, Diancie, both debuted in that generation as well. Generation Six encompasses the Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby, and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire lineup of games. Diancie’s debut in the series is certainly interesting.
Pokémon X and Y, the first games of this generation came out in 2013, and Carbink was available in them from the start. However, Diancie would come out later than the games themselves. First being announced in March 2014 in the Japanese Corocoro Magazine before being available for a limited time as a mythical Pokémon. This was to coincide with “Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction”, where Diancie played a major role and also made its anime debut.
Diancie and Carbink are also relevantly recent Pokémon in GO. Carbink was available in limited quantities for early ticket holders for the 2023 GO Fests as early as June. Before being more readily available through raids and incense encounters during GO Fest proper, along with the star mythical of last year’s GO Fest, Diancie!
Etymology and Design
Etymology
Carbink’s name may be a combination of Carbon (An element diamonds are made of) and either clink or tink (Onomatopoeia to describe the sounds of metallic objects). The entire name could also be taken from Carbuncle. Which is a mythological creature from Chile.
Its Japanese name Melecie might be a combination of the Japanese words Mezurashii (Meaning rare or uncommon) and Ishi (Meaning Stone). Rather aptly named. The “Mele” in Melecie might also be referring to melée, which are small brilliant-cut diamonds.
Design
Source: AR Photograph Uploaded by kittypokemonsalot
Overview
Carbink’s body seems to be shaped like a rock. Or more accurately, it’s shaped like an ore, a type of rock that tends to have valuable minerals deposited inside of it. Carbink’s top, on the other hand, is very different. Its neck is confirmed to be covered by a soft mane. According to the Ultra Moon Pokédex:
To keep the jewels on their bodies free of tarnish, packs of Carbink use their soft manes to polish one another’s jewels.
And this mane then leads up to a round head. With two drooping rabbit-like ears and a gem on the top. The gem seems to be the same type of gem that adorns its “ore” body.
The Carbuncle
The design of Carbink’s head finally brings us to its Carbuncle inspirations. As stated before the Carbuncle is a mythological creature from Chile. Particularly, Carbuncle is closely related to mining folklore. It’s believed that being able to catch a Carbuncle allows for good fortune, or valuable jewels and gems.
The Carbuncle is generally thought to be a small animal. Though specifics tend to vary. Some claim it’s a small dog, some say it’s a cat, some a rabbit, and others a firefly-like entity. Though one common motif seems to be that the Carbuncle has some kind of gemstone or mirror on top of its head. Carbuncles are decently common in Japanese media such as Yugioh and Final Fantasy. And most modern Japanese franchises seem to prefer the rabbit and catlike designs.
Carbuncle from Final Fantasy XV. Source: Trailer
As for Carbink, it probably takes inspiration from modern media depictions. But I believe it might also take inspiration from the description of Carbuncles in the book: “Mitos de Chile
enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos”. Which describes the Carbuncle as a clam-like creature with corn-shaped ears. This book further states that the Carbuncle hides inside its clam-like exterior to fool people into thinking it’s a rock. Which might explain Carbink’s rocky body and RockFairy typing.
Why Kalos?
In the previous Dashing Design, we took a look at why the Ice dino Amaura was in the France-inspired region of Kalos. So let’s do the same for Carbink. Because, like, what’s a Pokémon inspired by folklore from Chile doing in Kalos anyway?
Well, part of the reason might be because of a long history of colonization, Chile in the current day has a large population of European heritage. With a lot of them having French heritage specifically. But that’s really one reason, and to understand further, we have to look at Diancie.
Diancie and Mega Diancie
Diancie
Diancie
Source: Pokémon GO Fest 2023 Event Banner
So, while Diancie is not an evolution for Carbink, it is a closely related Pokémon. In fact, the Pokémon X Pokédex refers to Diancie as a transformation of a Carbink. So while Diancie will not be available for the Dazzling Dream event, I feel as though this analysis wouldn’t be complete without giving it a look as well.
Etymology
So with that being said, let’s start with the name first. We don’t have to look at Diancie’s English and Japanese names separately this time around. As Diancie pretty much shares the same name across languages. In fact, Carbink and Diancie have a commonality in their Japanese names, as they both end with “cie”. And as stated before this probably comes from the Japanese word “Ishi”, meaning rock. Diancie’s name taken together also sounds similar to fancy and pixie.
But we have been ignoring the first part of Diancie’s name. “Dian” is very likely an abbreviation of Diamond, a rare pricey gem commonly prized as jewelry. But I believe it could also come from common feminine names such as Diana and Diantha. These are relatively common names for members of royalty, both in real life and in fiction.
In real life, a recent example would be Diana, Princess of Wales in England. And in fiction, there’s “Princess Diana of Themyscira” aka Wonder Woman, from the DC Comics Universe. Even in Pokémon, in Pokémon X and Y, there’s Diantha, who has the exclusive trainer class of “Grand Duchess”.
Design
Source: Pokémon GO In-Game Sticker
Other than the similarities shared with Carbink, Diancie’s unique qualities may have already become apparent by just observing its name. With a more humanoid, feminine design, crown-like head jewel, and an elegant dress, it’s rather obvious that Diancie takes inspiration from female nobility. This is emphasized in both the animated movie and the games. But what type of nobility is it? According to Carbink’s Ultra Sun Pokédex:
Some say that deep beneath the surface of the world, a pack of Carbink live with their queen in a kingdom of jewels.
This seems to imply that Diancie is their “Queen”, much like Amaura covered in the previous Dashing Design article. This would have some similarities with creatures seen in real life such as ants and bees. As these creatures center their colonies around a singular queen that is similar to them, but also looks slightly different. However, I strongly believe Diancie is not a queen, but a princess.
But Why Though?
You may be thinking, why am I so certain? Well, just looking at the design alone, Diancie has a more youthful appearance. With the downward-pointing crystals behind its ears giving the impression of twin-tails. But other than that, the Carbinks literally refer to Diancie as “Princess” in the movie. Both in English, and in the Japanese dub where Diancie is referred to as “Hime”, a term closely related to princess. As opposed to “Jo-Ou” which is more similar to the English word, Queen.
Though as for why Diancie is a princess, that’s where why it and Carbinks are in Kalos come into play. As previously mentioned, Kalos is inspired by France. And in the Amaura article, I mentioned how European Kings and Queens are what people think of when they think of “Monarch” across the world nowadays. This is even more true for princesses. The concept of “Princess” is very popular in the modern day, especially in fiction. And especially in Japan.
Princess Eruca From A Personal Favorite Japanese Role-Playing Game Of Mine. Source: Radiant Historia.
Where Disney might be responsible for keeping interest in princesses alive in the West, there’s no end of examples in Japan. There are of course princesses in medieval fantasy fiction. But even fiction set in sci-fi or modern-day settings in Japanese media often have princesses or at least “princess-like” characters. So having a princess Pokémon in the first region inspired by a European country is a no-brainer if you ask me.
Some Additional Observations
So, both Diancie and Carbink are inspired by the mythical creature, Carbuncle, right? Well, the Carbuncle itself might get its name from the red gemstone called, well, Carbuncle. This inspiration is quite apparent with Diancie’s pink gems and red eyes.
Source: By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com. Collected from Wikipedia.
There was also a myth that such similar stones had their own “light” which is something referenced in Carbink’s dex entries. And also there is one French romance starring Charlamagne that mentions one such stone. So there’s another reason for these two Pokémon to be in Kalos.
However, Carbink and Diancie’s dex entries and name make references to the more popular gem “Diamond”, rather than Carbuncles. This is actually referenced in their stats as well. Both Carbink and Diancie have the highest Defence stat of all Fairy type Pokémon in the main series games. And even in Pokémon GO, Carbink is considered to be one of the bulkiest Pokémon in the Great League. This makes a lot of sense when you consider that Diamond is called the hardest material on Earth!
On a final note, a fair warning. Carbuncle, other than being a folkloric creature and gemstone, is also a medical term. And…uhh…not a very pleasant one at that to say the least, which I had to learn the hard way. So if you want to research this creature yourself, search for “Carbuncle Creature” or “Carbuncle Gem” instead.
Mega Diancie
Source: Game Trailer
Mega Diancie, from my understanding, is the only sixth-generation Mega Pokémon, with every other one originally coming from a prior generation. This is significant as I believe this might have allowed Gamefreak to keep a potential mega in mind while making Diancie. I believe this, because wow this is a nice-looking mega!
In its mega form, Diancie’s dress becomes longer and sleeveless, ending with its pink crystals. This gives the impression of a “Royal Gown” with gems attached to it. Its hair crystals are also now tied up with those long laces. This combination gives the impression of formal attire. Perhaps, one Diancie dons when performing its royal duties.
In the animated trailer for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Mega Diancie also has an energy sword. Which makes sense, considering the medieval princess inspiration. But I think this hints at Mega Diancie taking inspiration from another popular Japanese trope as well, Magical Girls! “Mahou Shojo” or Magical Girl is a genre commonly associated with Manga and Anime. It’s sort of like a female-targeted equivalent for “Sentai” shows such as Power Rangers and Kamen Rider.
These shows typically have elaborate transformation scenes. Where the main character(s) transform into elegant and frilled dresses and often have some sort of equipment such as a staff, scepter, or even swords sometimes. Which fits Diancie’s transformation into its mega form quite nicely as well. In fact, there is a certain twin-tailed sailor who happens to be a magical girl and a reincarnation of a princess. So I wonder if she was a potential direct inspiration, hmm?
Sailor Moon from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Source: Movie Trailer
Conclusion
And there we go! This is a pretty important milestone, and a personal one for myself. As this is the 10th article in the Dashing Design series! As such, I absolutely jumped at the chance to talk about one of my favorite Pokémon, Carbink. And I’m very happy that the Dazzling Dream event lined up so perfectly in terms of timing. By the end of the day, I think why I like Carbink and Diancie so much, and perhaps the reason why the Carbuncle, Princesses and, Magical Girls are so enduring, is because they epitomize the idea of “cute yet strong”. And this is why, Carbink and Diancie’s design, is quite dashing!
Goodbye for now, Pokémon trainers. Priom-out!
