Dragon-hooded girl
she/her
21
August 10
Fallarbor Town, Hoenn
Asexual
Minor Gym Leader
PokéManiac
I wanna become a Pokémon!
TAG WITH @andreavaneau
Andrea Vaneau
Andrea's Exhibit
POSTED ON Jun 10, 2024 23:08:07 GMT
Mysteries of Ogerpon and the Cultural Significance of Oni
The Mask Pokémon, Ogerpon, was first encountered in the RKS Simulation, and later in the Megalopolan spaceship-prison, where it attacked prisoners while under the influence of the Toxic Chain. It was fed Mochi like the rest of the prisoners, and kept awake through the use of Worry Seeds. The reason the Loyal Three imprisoned it is unknown.
The Pokédex contains no information on Ogerpon, suggesting it is either a new species or extremely rare with no data. This particular Ogerpon is female. It is unknown if others of its species exist. The mysteries surrounding it suggest it could be among the Pokémon classified as legendary, though it has yet to exhibit the extraordinary abilities of one. It does, however, exhibit superhuman strength despite its small size.
Ogerpon appears to be an Oni. The term originates from old Johtonian folklore, describing evil, man-eating monsters that lived in mountains or caves. Such legends were rooted in the superstition of the times regarding wild Pokémon. They served as cautionary tales to prevent children from venturing into the wilderness prior to the invention of Pokéballs. According to modern studies[1], Throh and Sawk were among the species most often mistaken for Oni.
As the relationship between humans and Pokémon evolved over the years, the term Oni faded into obscurity. Their imagery lives on through masks used in festivals and traditional plays. An Oni mask was also worn by coordinator oscar clayton in the TOUKON Contest held this year[2]. The cultural significance of Oni and their association with masks is vital in understanding Ogerpon.
An RKS scenario involving Ogerpon[3] can be unlocked by inserting the Scarlet Book into the simulation machine. In it, Ogerpon attends a festival disguised as a human child. Choosing to remove its Teal Mask results in Ogerpon being ousted by the festival-goers. Choosing any other action results in Ogerpon being controlled by a Toxic Chain and attacking the player.
This paper proposes three theories. Given the ability to simulate past events[4], it is possible that this scenario depicts Ogerpon at a time before it was imprisoned by the Loyal Three.
If the above theory were to be true, then Ogerpon’s Masks must have also existed before its imprisonment, making those used by the Megalopolans an attempt at recreating them.
The third theory is that, at some point in time, Ogerpon attempted to befriend humans and was shunned due to old-fashioned prejudices surrounding Oni. Such a traumatic event would explain Ogerpon’s fear of humans.
Four different masks are known to be associated with Ogerpon. All of them had Tera Shards slotted into them with inhuman precision, implying the use of Megalopolan technology in making them.
 The Teal Mask seems to be inspired by the Grass type. Records of this mask exist in the RKS Simulation in the form of curios[5]. It was destroyed when Munkidori was killed.
 The Wellspring Mask seems to be inspired by the Water type. When gazing into this mask, one can see their deepest desires[6]. It was destroyed when Fezandipiti was killed.
 The Hearthflame Mask seems to be inspired by the Fire type. Not much else is known about this mask. It was destroyed while attempting to free Ogerpon.
 The Cornerstone Mask seems to be inspired by the Rock type. Not much else is known about this mask. It was destroyed when Okidogi was killed.
The above masks seem to be very important to Ogerpon. This is likely due to the fact that they allow Ogerpon to Terastallize, but they might also hold sentimental value. With Hoenn’s abundance of Tera Crystals, and the great technological advancements achieved in recent years, it might be possible to recreate these masks. Doing so would bring us one step closer to solving the many mysteries of Ogerpon.
References
1. Defending the WORST: Sawk and Throh Origins!
2. TOUKON: TOUGH CONTEST II
3. RKS Simulation: OGERPON 1
4. RKS Simulation: SLATEPORT INVASION 1
5. RKS Simulation: Curio Compendium
6. This was revealed to me in a dream.
|
|
