Basculegion is a large, green fish-like Pokémon. It has a jagged mouth with pointed teeth. Its spine is aligned with a dark grey line, with a colored line along it and extending around its gills, in addition to having spots along its torso and plumes of smoke around its tail - in male Basculegion they are red, while female Basculegion have pale blue accents. Their eyes also match the appropriate color, looking fierce on males and drowsy or sad on females. It has a pair of white pectoral fins, a three-spiked dorsal fin, and a two-spiked ventral fin. Additional smoke covers its face in a manner resembling barbels; female Basculegion sporting shorter ones and lacking the two small fins that the males have on their chin in exchange for more blue markings around the lips and eyes.
Basculegion's evolution is said to be achieved by a surviving White-Striped Basculin being possessed by the deceased souls of other Basculin in its school who did not survive the harsh journey swimming upstream. When it senses danger, Basculegion will turn hostile and attack along with its souls until the enemy is defeated. The souls within Basculegion are said to have a will of their own and provide Basculegion with the power needed to swim on without tiring.[1] Basculegion is said to have no equal in the rivers of the Hisui region. Basculegion can move really fast like a dash and can leap over anything by jumping up twice.
A special Basculegion is worshiped in Hisui due to it being one of the 10 ancient Pokémon who received a blessing from Arceus. In particular, it is one of the Ride Pokémon who resides in Cobalt Coastlands and assists humans.
Clads itself in the souls of comrades that perished before fulfilling their goals of journeying upstream. No other species throughout all Hisui's rivers is Basculegion's equal.
Game locations
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation VIII.
Basculegion's appearance, and the background of the deceased souls of Basculin, is reminiscent of the salmon, as some species are found in Hokkaidō (where Hisui is based on) and its surrounding waters, and many of them don't survive when they migrate upstream. It may also be based on the itou or the Sakhalin taimen (also nicknamed the "phantom fish" in Japan), a large, critically endangered species that likewise belongs in the Salmonidae family and lives in rivers in Hokkaidō. As Basculegion is a conglomerate of many restless spirits, it may also be inspired by Gashadokuro. Basculegion also shares some similarities with the largemouth bass as well as other predatory fish such as the snakehead and the goliath tiger fish.
The male and female colorations of Basculegion may be inspired by the color schemes of some salmon species, such as the sockeye or the coho, during mating season. While both male and female salmon change colors during this period, the males usually become redder and more vibrant, while the females are paler in comparison. The colorations are also reminiscent of Basculin's Red- and Blue-Striped Forms.
Name origin
Basculegion may be a portmanteau of Basculin and legion (an army or a vast amount of people), or Legion (a Biblical demon or group of demons).
Idaitou may be a combination of 偉大 idai (great) and イトウ itou (Sakhalin taimen). It might also involve 哀悼 aitou (mourning).
