Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fan theory suggests the starters are a clever reference to a classic Spanish novel

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More hints towards Scarlet and Violet being set in Spain have emerged

A home in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fan has theorized that the Gen 9 starters were inspired by classic Spanish novel Don Quijote de la Mancha.

As shared in the Pokemon subreddit, one user says they believe the starter Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet (Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly) may have been inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th century book.

According to the theory, each of the starters is inspired by a character in the renowned writer’s novel. To start with, this Reddit user claims that: "Quaxly is the protagonist", "Fuecoco is Quixote's squire Sancho Panza", and "Sprigatito... is Dulcinea del Toboso." The reason they’ve come to this conclusion is that each of the starter’s official descriptions make possible references to the characters in Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. 

The person responsible for the theory has plenty of evidence to back up their thinking, from the physical appearance of the starters, to small details from previous Pokemon games that could also point towards the connection. So we suggest heading to the original post to get the full picture. 

theory_starters_in_pok%C3%A9mon_scarlet_and_violet_are from r/pokemon

Other Pokemon fans have already noticed that Scarlet and Violet contain some kind of Spanish influence. In fact, one has gone as far as to claim that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could be set in Spain, due to several small details in the trailer. 

According to this secondary theory, two out of three of the starters are clear nods to the Spanish language as well. As explained in a Twitter thread, Sprigatito makes reference to the Spanish word for kitten (which is "gatito") and Fuecoco is a portmanteau of "fuego", the Spanish word for fire, and "cocodrilo", meaning alligator. Quaxly, however, doesn’t appear to have any obvious Spanish influence as of right now. 

There hasn't been any official word from Game Freak or The Pokemon Company to confirm Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Spanish themes, but both of these fan theories have a lot going for them. 

Want to know exactly who will be making an appearance in the upcoming game? Here are all the Pokemon in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer, including the starters.

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.