June Community Day has lived up to its hype and the 2024 edition will feature Goomy, the Gen 6 Pseudo Legendary line, in Pokémon GO. Its final evolution Goodra has always been a mixed bag (of slime) as it is loved by many for how adorable it is and its feats as a part of Ash Ketchum’s team in the Kalos region, but it’s also the weakest Pseudo honestly.
This pure Dragon type has been at the bottom of the picking list in competitive viability of the mainline games and Smogon, and even in Pokémon GO, fans squirm at how powerful its draconic peers like Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence et al are.
Enough of the slander now… I love Goodra! Having years of experience in using Dragon types, I can vouch for the fact that it is pretty strong in the right hands. But what strikes all is its unique design and rich lore, which is bound to surprise you!
So let’s delve into what makes Goodra…. good in terms of its background, starting with the basics.
Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) | Dragon Quest
JRPGs are popular, fun games where your first opponents are often slimes – weak and low in the hierarchy… but still iconic.
So iconic that these pesky little blobs are the mascot of the JRPG Dragon Quest.
Weak… round-ish…blob of slime…dragon… Goomy
In fact, JRPGs are pop culture icons in Japan and eventually led to the creation of Pokémon in the first place.
This slime hype extended to Dungeon and Dragons, Final Fantasy, and even recent ones like Slime Rancher 2, which even has slimes that look like Goomy, complete with the antenna and all.
But, what’s with the antenna on them? That’s because of their real-life inspiration of course!
Slugs and Snails
These species are nature’s embodiment of slime and the very basis of the entire Goodra line. To be precise, Hisuian Goodra and Sliggoo (both versions) are more snail-y and I’ll get to the Hisuian forms when released in Pokémon GO.
Moreover, they dry out… just like Goomy again. According to the Dex entries from Ultra Moon:
“Its body is mostly water. If it dries out, it will die”
No wonder Goomy is the weakest Dragon type Pokémon! 🙁
But, how does a weak slug thing turn into a snail thing and then a Pseudo Legendary Dragon thing of all… things? (no pun intended)
Snail Dragon?
For starters, it does go back to the very name of the JRPGs: Dragon Quest and Dungeons & Dragons.
Going further back, we all know the classic tales of a valiant knight slaying a mighty dragon. This has been shown in mainstream media including movies, plays, and novels.
Many manuscript monks have had a kick at this by depicting knights fighting even snails!
This was all medieval satire, or memes from that age haha.
All this Goomy talk was essential to establish its evolution from a weak, slimy reject to a powerful Pseudo Legendary Dragon that knights feared.
Little did the knights (trainers) know that there’s an actual snail dragon in store, that too in France (Kalos)
Lou Carcolh
The draconic mollusc-serpent hybrid beast from French folklore which lived in a mountain cave and gave knights a tough time, Goodra is directly based on Lou Crarcolh, although it looks a lot cuter.
This dragon’s antenna/tentacles were its weapon of choice, and so is Goodra, as evident from some of its Dex entries that read:
“It attacks with retractable horns. It throws a punch that’s the equivalent of the force of a hundred pro boxers.”
Viscoelastic material | Pseudo Plastic
The viscoelasticity property of certain materials, usually called Pseudo Plastic fluids, explains Goodra’s tendency of absorbing/tanking stress (attacks) and hitting back with its antennae and punches.
Instead of getting displaced, any stress on the material is reflected with high elasticity and it hurts, so Goodra can pack quite a punch, literally!
This is kinda what snails and slugs do as well.
Conclusion
Goodra’s lore and design may not be as deep as its peers, but the Hisuain form has a lot more to it and I can’t wait to show you how far it goes!
Till then, be sure to check out my other lore, design, and in some, even science articles below:
Mega Salamence | Dialga & Palkia Origin | Naganadel | Garchomp | Baxcalibur | Hydreigon | Zygarde| Druddigon | Drampa | Enamorus
Enjoy Goomy Community Day, trainers!
Dracarys
