Pokemon Scarlet and Violet might have debunked a decades-old fan theory

New Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fire-type Pokemon Fuecoco has some fans questioning the starter Chinese zodiac theory. 

Since the announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet last weekend, fans in the Pokemon Subreddit have been discussing the three new starter Pokemon, grass-type Sprigatito, fire-type Fuecoco, and water-type Quaxly. 

Recently, there’s been a pattern of posts that discuss the new crocodile-inspired fire-type Pokemon and how it breaks a long-held fan theory that says all fire-type starter Pokemon are based on an animal from the Chinese zodiac, as there is no crocodile or alligator zodiac animal. A few players have clung to the idea that the reptilian Fuecoco could eventually occupy the Snake zodiac spot, but given that its name is based on the Spanish word for crocodile and a snake starter already exists, that might be a bit of a reach.

According to the theory, starters such as Sword and Shield's Scorbunny (rabbit), Diamond and Pearl's Chimchar (monkey), Sun and Moon's Litten (tiger), and even as far back as Charmander (dragon) from Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green are based on some of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. 

This zodiac theory has never been confirmed, however, with arguably five out of the 12 zodiac animals seemingly represented as starter Pokemon, you can’t blame fans for thinking this could be the case. 

There are some fans out there though who claim this theory was debunked long before the announcement of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starters. One fan in the Pokemon subreddit pointed out that Fennekin and Cyndaquil broke this trend way back in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (as well as HeartGold and SoulSilver) and later in Pokemon X and Y.

It could be argued that Fennekin represents the dog zodiac but it’s more likely that it is based on a fennec fox in appearance. As for Cyndaquil, some fans count the fire-type Pokemon as representing the rat zodiac, based on its categorisation as a 'Fire Mouse Pokemon'. Personally, however, we're thinking it’s some kind of prickly animal - like a porcupine or echidna, which are also not in the Chinese zodiac. 

Want to find out more fan theories about the upcoming Pokemon game? Meet the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fan that outlines clues that point to a new region based on Spain.