User:Pokelego999/sandbox/Cubone

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Design and conception
Cubone is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution.

Introduced in Red and Blue, the design started as pixel art sprites by the development team first, with a single color identity chosen to work within the Super Game Boy hardware limitations. While conceived as a group effort by multiple developers at Game Freak, the finalized design and artwork was done by Ken Sugimori. Originally tasked with drawing the characters to illustrate a planned strategy guide by Game Freak when the games released, Sugimori drew all the sprites for the game in his style to not only unify their designs visually but also modify any design elements he felt were amiss, while trying to retain the original sprite artists' unique styles. Originally called "Karakara" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. Prior to being given its current name, Cubone was given the name "Orphon," in reference to its nature as an orphan.

Reception
Cubone's design helped inspire the design of the Skullcrawlers in Kong: Skull Island.

Cubone's backstory has been praised since its inception. Its dark backstory has been noted, with David Roberts of GamesRadar+ noting the contrast between its cute appearance and in-game lore. Ben Davis of Destructoid noted his fondness for Cubone. He stated further how the uncertainty regarding which Cubone was the child of the ghost Marowak let him imagine his own Cubone as being able to move on from the loss of the Marowak. Several fan theories about Cubone's true identity were created due to the nature of its skull hiding its true face, with some stating that Cubone was related to the Pokémon Kangaskhan due to their similar appearances and oftentimes shared encounter locations. George Yang of Fanbyte highlighted Marowak and Cubone's, citing how it echoed his Asian-American heritage in how his parents were often willing to sacrifice everything for him, akin to Cubone and Marowak.

A scene in the 2019 film Detective Pikachu involving Cubone was praised for its adaptation of Cubone's lore and backstory.