Okay so this could maybe have been split into two articles but I felt it was better to write together to compare the separate evolution lines with a back and forth between them, especially since two of them are basically the exact same Pokemon, so strap in for a longer one.

Maybe I’m just getting fatigue from all the rodent-like monsters but compared to the previous two lines and its own counterpart, which we’ll get into, I’m nowhere near as enthused by Nidoran♀. This is our first pioneer in the introduction of gender to the Pokemon world, with dimorphism so significant that this is just an entirely different Pokemon from Nidoran♂. As a concept this was always an interesting relic of old Pokemon, as nowadays there are Pokemon with sexual dimorphism arguably way more significant than these two who aren’t different species, so this feels a tad out of place. Nevertheless, it was a cool idea I’m glad was expanded on. This family of Pokemon go more in the direction of generally monstrous designs with an aesthetic shared by many of the earliest Generation 1 designs, so they can be argued to be pioneers in this genre of Pokemon, though Nidoran starts simple with an amalgamation of various rodent-like creatures with all the nice kaiju elements yet to come. Unfortunately for Nidoran♀, while it’s an aesthetically fine design for a rat-rabbit-monster-thing, it just doesn’t have the same charm as the male Nidoran and feels left to one side. The features are just a little less exaggerated and the colour scheme is less exciting, so while it’s a nice splash of variety in the early routes of Kanto it still manages to feel outclassed, which is a real shame.

Nidoran♂is of course the one doing the outclassing here. Its smaller face and mouth with bigger, more exaggerated ears makes it a great deal cuter than Nidoran♀, and this has the distinct advantage of being purple. Purple is my absolute favourite colour and I find it improves almost any design it’s added to for Pokemon. As a bolder colour it does a better job of making this thing look like a threat, the way poisonous animals should, and I find Nidoran♂ fits right alongside the Kanto starters and Pikachu amongst early route Kanto Pokemon in feeling more fantastical and exciting. While the name is horribly clunky, this is almost like Kanto Starter No. 5 to me in some ways. It just has a great baby monster appeal to it, and I like that.

Nidorina continues the trend of being the less interesting option of its duo, sadly. As Poison type Pokemon the lighter blue colouration is fine but lacks the bold distinctiveness of purple with a less aggressive design to boot. Nidorina feels like a lumpier, less inspired afterthought and evokes a similar middle stage problem as other monstrous designs like Charmeleon. If I had to point out one thing that I really don’t like about this Pokemon, it’s the fact that upon evolving it loses its ability to breed. It just feels weird and creepy that Nidoking can still breed but only Nidoran♀ can do so. This was long thought to be a programming error by many, but it turns out that this is entrenched lore that can be traced all the way back to the 1996 Japanese only book “Pokedex” and thus was intentional. I don’t really understand why this is the case and don’t like that very much, but at least it’s properly programmed?

Nidorino, for many, will be iconic for its sheer overconfidence in trying to take on a Gengar in Pokemon Red’s intro cutscene. This audacity is effectively conveyed in its design, which abandons all attempts at being cute like its pre-evolution in favour of looking positively fiendish with its over the top spikes and look of venomous rage. This would be a more than passable single stage standard monster in the vein of Kangaskhan (albeit one that would have people clamouring for an evolution in later generations) and I think that makes it a very strong middle stage as well: looking fierce on its own while developing ideas in an organic way before going full kaiju soon.

Nidoqueen is a pretty radical shift into more of a kaiju-like design (albeit the concept of kaiju is quite strongly contrasted by its diminutive size) and in my view a significant improvement into this evolution line having more identity. The darker blue goes a long way to making it more menacing, and its more rounded features compared to Nidoking are more effectively treated like armour than merely the absence of spikes, giving it more of a reason to feel like the more defensive pick of the two. I should also say that I adore the Poison/Ground typing. Unique to the fully evolved Nidos until Generation 9, this is both mechanically very cool and the Ground typing adds a real weightiness to them that stands out amidst countless Poison types. I unfortunately have a pretty big issue with how the armoured plating around Nidoqueen’s chest and stomach, already leaning into the oft maligned “boob armour” design trope, looks like an absurd smiley face. This takes an otherwise really good design and adds a ridiculous element that isn’t particularly funny or inspired but sadly just detracts from a cool design. Unfortunately, Pokemon’s first brush with gender mostly ended up more of a reinforcement of patriarchy because while Nidoqueen is fine on its own it just doesn’t stand up to its flashier purple counterparts.

Now of the six Nidos, I have no reservation in saying that Nidoking is the crown jewel of the set. I guess now is a good time to ponder why this is a Moon Stone evolution; possibly as an allusion to monsters such as Godzilla being inspired by radioactivity, these guys evolve based on exposure to mysterious, possibly radioactive rare earth minerals that seem to come from space? Either way it’s a cool image and leads to being able to have a Nidoking very early in Red and Blue, cementing itself as one of Pokemon’s most famous power fantasy picks for in-game play. Speaking of gameplay, it’s quite amusing that these Pokemon which have no clear singular inspiration for their designs, instead pulling from many monsters, also have absurd movepools of all different kinds of tricks. This is also true of Nidoqueen, but I want to spread my praise around a bit, and as the attacker of the two Nidoking definitely gets more practical use out of its absurd movepool. This feels like a design that Pokemon would’ve long since overshadowed and outclassed now, but I think its appeal is still truly timeless.

Nidoqueen Final Verdict: 6/10 – a nice monster design in which pulls from a lot of different inspirations in a fascinating and surprisingly cohesive way, but Nidoqueen feels like overshadowed and more of an afterthought compared to its counterpart.
Nidoking Final Verdict: 9/10 – a wicked-looking spiky purple monster design is just tailor made for me to fall in love with it, one of the most beloved Gen 1 designs for a reason