Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s headlining Legendaries have been revealed, but their rideable combination of wheels and legs makes little sense. Koraidon, the Legendary Pokémon in Scarlet, and Miraidon in Violet, were announced in June alongside the new Generation 9 Pokémon Pawmi, Lechonk, and Smoliv. In addition, Nintendo’s most recent trailer released on August 3 confirmed two more new Scarlet and Violet Pokémon, Fidough and Cetitan, as well as Paldean Wooper, suggesting that more Gen 9 regional forms are in store. While little is known about Gen 9 and how many more Pokémon will be revealed, many are questioning the logic behind the designs for Koraidon and Miraidon.
Rideable Pokémon are nothing new in and of themselves, with players frequently using Pokémon such as Charizard to fly throughout regions or Lapras to surf across bodies of water. This feature has become increasingly common in Pokémon games throughout the years, with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! including 18 rideable Pokémon to choose from, and Legends: Arceus having Wyrdeer, Ursaluna, Sneasler, Basculegion, and Braviary help the player traverse the Hisui region before it became Pokémon's Sinnoh. However, Koraidon and Miraidon’s forms offer a new development in rideable Pokémon history. Each has three distinct modes: Sprinting Build/Drive Mode, which allows fast movement on ground and up cliffs; Swimming Build/Aquatic Mode, allowing the player to surf across water; and Gliding Build/Glide Mode, which flies through the sky.
Physics of the Pokémon universe aside, Koraidon’s design has been a point of controversy as the Pokémon seems to have two large wheels on its underside but uses its legs to run regardless. The reason Koraidon does not use its wheels, aside from the fact that they're actually air sacs used for floatation, could be connected to its name: Koraidon may be a portmanteau of the Japanese words korai, meaning ancient, and raido, meaning ride, with don, a common dinosaur name suffix. Conversely Miraidon’s name contains mirai, which means future. While this points to a larger theme of time dividing Scarlet and Violet variants, it also explains why Koraidon, the ancient Pokémon, travels on foot rather than as a vehicle. However, the question of why the designers chose to include wheel-like body parts at all still remains, as Koraidon’s motorbike-inspired physique has left some fans disappointed with its manual maneuvering.
Many Unknowns Still Surround Scarlet & Violet's Koraidon and Miraidon
Though many have been speculating that both Koraidon and Miraidon will be dragon types, Nintendo is yet to announce more information about each Legendary Pokémon's type or ability. In addition, Koraidon and Miraidon are the only two Legendaries to have been revealed thus far, but fans are expecting new ones to be uncovered soon, since every other Pokémon game has included at least three Legendaries, with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon having as many as 22. With so many unknowns surrounding Koraidon, Miraidon, and other potential Legendary Pokémon in Gen 9, players must wait to uncover the mysteries of Scarlet and Violet's new Paldea region.
This year has been revolutionary for Pokémon games, with the first open-world title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, launching earlier this year, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet set to entail a similar open-world premise where players can choose in which order to tackle Paldea's gyms. Considering players can freely explore the Paldea region, Koraidon and Miraidon’s shapeshifting forms should prove extremely liberating compared to previous games which require the player to switch between Pokémon to fly, swim, or run, but the Legendaries' larger in-game significance regarding the story will likely be revealed after the game’s launch on November 18.