Current Events > Pokecology announced - book about the behaviors of Pokemon

(+) Yeah! (+)

In one of the most novel ideas we've seen from The Pokmon Company, the media giant has revealed Pokcology, an official book that focuses on the behaviours of the fictional creatures.

Reported on my Automaton Media, Pokcology will be released in Japan on 18th June 2025 by publisher Shogakukan, with no official Western release confirmed yet. But the big draw here is that the book has been put together by two veterinary behaviorism and ecology PHD graduates from the University of Tokyo. So it's essentially a real science book about fictional creatures.

The book has been penned by Yoshinari Yonehara who has worked with the company on Pokmon Legends: Arceus and Scarlet & Violet with illustrations form Chihiro Kinoshita, who is known for drawing a wide range of children's illustrations focusing on animal ecology.

We've got no official images besides the logo, which is pretty charming, but pre-orders from Amazon Japan, Rakuten, and HMV (among other retailers) price the book at around 1,430 just over USD $10.

Instead of focusing on Pokmon stats and battle techniques, Pokcology will instead look at things such as sleeping habits, preferred foods, migration patterns, and other likewise topics. Sounds like the perfect New Pokmon Snap companion to us.

Plus, it'll apparently be presented in an easy-to-understand way, meaning this might be how you get your kids excited about animal sciences, ecology, and biology.

We know translating the book could be a lot of work, but we'd love to see this get the official treatment here in the West. For now, we'll have our fingers crossed as we prepare to become Pokmon experts. It'd be a great thing to announce in the run-up to the next Pokmon game's release, Legends: Z-A.

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/04/were-getting-an-official-pokemon-encyclopedia-written-by-animal-behaviourists-and-ecologists

where's the game with all the regions and all pokemons

But the big draw here is that the book has been put together by two veterinary behaviorism and ecology PHD graduates from the University of Tokyo. So it's essentially a real science book about fictional creatures.

that actually sounds kinda cool.

I feel like they're missing a huge opportunity by not releasing this as some sort of electronic PokeDex device though

"Many Pokemon are friendly, others just want to be left alone. For example, Vaporeon wants to be left alone. If you don't know why we have singled out Vaporeon, good."

This sounds fantastic. I wish more franchises were big enough to support projects like this.

I hope I love long enough to see this accurate to in-game pokemon behaviors.

thronedfire2 posted...

that actually sounds kinda cool.

Yes, it does!

bump

thronedfire2 posted...

that actually sounds kinda cool.

I feel like they're missing a huge opportunity by not releasing this as some sort of electronic PokeDex device though

Yeah, I'm actually super interested in this book now because of that.

That sounds so cool and I hope so much it gets translated into English because I would buy 20.

Well, probably only 1, but I'm excited enough I'd be willing to buy 20.

Hope they don't talk about the behavior of typhlosion.

I lost any interest in this kind of natural observation stuff after regional forms existed. I find it hard to believe borderline magical monsters capable of elemental control presumably through organs present within them can completely change appearance and their primary element, along with the organ that creates that element, and still be considered the same monster. Example: Alolan Vulpix. I think trying to rationalize these monsters with real world ecology is just silly. Either you want me to suspend belief or not. To each their own though.

GuerillaGorilla posted...

I lost any interest in this kind of natural observation stuff after regional forms existed. I find it hard to believe borderline magical monsters capable of elemental control presumably through organs present within them can completely change appearance and their primary element, along with the organ that creates that element, and still be considered the same monster. Example: Alolan Vulpix. I think trying to rationalize these monsters with real world ecology is just silly. Either you want me to suspend belief or not. To each their own though.

I mean wouldn't that be something like adaptation? Isn't there a reason why the variants exist? Or at least I hope that they explain why.

dameon_reaper posted...

I mean wouldn't that be something like adaptation? Isn't there a reason why the variants exist? Or at least I hope that they explain why.

Sure. That's the main explanation. To me though it seems too much of a drastic change to be considered the same pokemon. An animal adapting it's fire spitting organ to spit something drastically different like ice instead and still be considered the same animal just doesn't sit with me.

GuerillaGorilla posted...

Sure. That's the main explanation. To me though it seems too much of a drastic change to be considered the same pokemon. An animal adapting it's fire spitting organ to spit something drastically different like ice instead and still be considered the same animal just doesn't sit with me.

Honestly, I find it odd that you put that much focus on the spitting. It's not even just the element that changed, but it also has fairy once it evolves. If it was located somewhere with a lot of snow or ice, I can see it needing to adapt. Maybe Vulpix isn't naturally warm like a dragon would be? I dunno enough information for it, but I would assume that could be the major possibility.

It STILL is fantasy though...Avlugg isn't even a real thing...just a giant piece of ice. Yet at some point, in the past, it was also ice AND stone.

Then, for your own benefit, what about the pokemon from the past in Scar/Vio? They are pretty much 'early' versions of pokemon from the present, right? Isn't that a bit redundant since evolution exists? lol. Again, I don't know enough but it looked like they were all named differently, which would be strange since Vulpix is still Vulpix regardless of the variant. Same with stunfisk.

GuerillaGorilla posted...

Sure. That's the main explanation. To me though it seems too much of a drastic change to be considered the same pokemon. An animal adapting it's fire spitting organ to spit something drastically different like ice instead and still be considered the same animal just doesn't sit with me.

I think the real problem is in taxonomy rather than how different they are. Under no situation would an Alolan Sandshrew still be called Sandshrew.

Which also raises more questions now that we have actual lookalike species like Wiglett or Toedscool which makes it super muddy of "okay, where do we have convergent evolution compared to radiation by adapting to a new environment, and why is the latter seemingly less important that it doesn't necessitate a name change?"

GuerillaGorilla posted...

I lost any interest in this kind of natural observation stuff after regional forms existed. I find it hard to believe borderline magical monsters capable of elemental control presumably through organs present within them can completely change appearance and their primary element, along with the organ that creates that element, and still be considered the same monster. Example: Alolan Vulpix. I think trying to rationalize these monsters with real world ecology is just silly. Either you want me to suspend belief or not. To each their own though.

I mean that is a thing that species do in real life.

McmadnessV3 posted...

I mean that is a thing that species do in real life.

That is a thing that happens in real life, but still calling Alolan Vulpix a Vulpix is bad science.

Proto_Spark posted...

Which also raises more questions now that we have actual lookalike species like Wiglett or Toedscool which makes it super muddy of "okay, where do we have convergent evolution compared to radiation by adapting to a new environment, and why is the latter seemingly less important that it doesn't necessitate a name change?"

Exactly! Why do we have natural evolution when everything has existed based on this magical Pokemon evolution? Then throw in the past paradox forms and it gets even more confusing.

It's why I'm not that big a fan of these types of different form Pokemon and just choose to ignore any logical real world equivalences and why I think this book is silly. I can see it's appeal, but I don't think I'd enjoy it.

Edit: what environmental factors do a jellyfish and mushroom share that would evolve them to have similar features? Even their rationalization, calling it convergent evolution, doesn't make sense to me.

Proto_Spark posted...

That is a thing that happens in real life, but still calling Alolan Vulpix a Vulpix is bad science.

Yeah, I agree with you. The problem is taxonomy. I understand the adaption. It still being the same species is what doesn't make sense.

We don't call Polar Bears arctic Grizzly Bears.

They're leaving a lot of money on the table if they don't translate it, I'd buy it and it's haven't played Pokemon in years

Proto_Spark posted...

That is a thing that happens in real life, but still calling Alolan Vulpix a Vulpix is bad science.

Its like calling a Bactrian camel a camel.

Oh wait, they do.

McMarbles posted...

Its like calling a Bactrian camel a camel.

Oh wait, they do.

Think about a Panda bear vs. Koala Bear vs. Red Panda. None of these things are related, but because of their names someone who doesn't have a pre-existing background in the topic can make the fair assumption they are from the same group when they aren't.

Or because regional variants are effectively divergent evolution, it's like saying that bat is a bird. Or that Mammoth skeleton and that elephant are the same thing.

So it's Pokemon Snap, but in book form?

That's pretty neat. I wish the games would focus on this aspect of the Pokmon. A book form will have to do in the meantime.

Not a big fan of Pokemon but I am a big fan of lore books, so good on them.

Proto_Spark posted...

That is a thing that happens in real life, but still calling Alolan Vulpix a Vulpix is bad science.

I mean yes but so is calling what pokemon do evolution.

Proto_Spark posted...

That sounds so cool and I hope so much it gets translated into English because I would buy 20.

Well, probably only 1, but I'm excited enough I'd be willing to buy 20.

Viz would be the most likely to license this.

But will it get a western release?

Proto_Spark posted...

Think about a Panda bear vs. Koala Bear vs. Red Panda. None of these things are related, but because of their names someone who doesn't have a pre-existing background in the topic can make the fair assumption they are from the same group when they aren't.

Or because regional variants are effectively divergent evolution, it's like saying that bat is a bird. Or that Mammoth skeleton and that elephant are the same thing.

eh, I dunno. I think pokemon species are a little more specific than different species of bears.

I feel like comparing pokemon egg groups to real life genuses(genii?) would be more accurate

Depending on how good the artwork is this might be a good little coffee table book

Hopefully it is more than just gen 1 pokemon

TV tropes has something similar, it was really extensive and cool, last I saw it.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/ThePokedexExtendedFanonEdition