Monke.

Mankey is our inaugural Fighting type and starts things off pretty simple, yet also distinct from other early Fighting types. A lot of early Fighting types, especially pure Fighting types, go for designs that are more monstrous humanoid and largely devoid of animalistic qualities. Mankey is, most obviously, a monkey but throws in elements of pigs and macaques to create a viciously angry furball that makes up for an otherwise simple design with charisma in spades. It does a really good job of being an animalistic design that doesn’t look too much like any one animal and that has some value. While simple, I like this one. However, Mankey is but a small taste of what’s to come with its evolutions.

Primeape is a fair bit less animalistic than Mankey, losing the tail and getting more humanlike limbs with big metal shackles, but still stays far away from becoming blatantly humanoid and compensates for its changes by really turning up the charisma to even further heights. Primeape is permanently stanced up in a way that shows it bouncing around spoiling for a fight, looking like it’s ready to pounce in seconds and never relent. It’s possibly the best user of the standard Generation 1 triangle eyes trope; and this in tandem with its pronounced vein over the eye really does a lot of work to show a creature of apoplectic rage and I think that’s particularly impressive given that the lack of a mouth wouldn’t otherwise give much room to work with for emoting. Primeape’s a simple enough being so if that were all to the line, I’d not have much more to say. At worst I’d say it felt like a middle stage in waiting as I did for Golduck, but Generation 9 saw this too and bestowed this line with something truly special. Primeape now learns the new signature move Rage Fist – a Ghost type attack unlike the Fighting and Dark attacks that have been allowed to define rage and violence in the past – and evolves upon successfully executing the move Rage Fist 20 times. I really like this evolution method thematically: Primeape’s trainer is effectively goading it to evolve by making it draw out its rage more than just fighting angrily. Rage Fist is only a small step though as with full power unleashed, we have one of the most exciting cross-generational evolutions to look forward to.

To put things bluntly, Annihilape is a masterpiece of design. Without deviating too far from Primeape we now have a dark grey, haggard beast of pure, frothing, violent rage, rather than spoiling for a fight and constantly moving it is now bloodlust incarnate: looming in battle with a deadly glower and murderous intent behind it. This is our first Paldean Pokemon to cover and even by the standards of an already strong generation, Annihilape stands out head and shoulders above the rest as one of the most exciting designs of its generation. For a lot of fans, including myself, Annihilape feels like it harkens back to Primeape’s Sun Pokedex entry: which describes it having the potential to become so angry it dies as a result, but apparently looking peaceful after death. Suffice to say, peace is no part of this Fighting/Ghost Pokemon’s agenda. Annihilape appears to exist on the boundary of life and death, with its Pokedex entries describing it as being so angry its physical form could not contain its full power. With its shaggy grey hair floating off in slightly ethereal wisps, its furious red eyes, and its shackles coming apart from the fury it unleashes it’s no wonder that this is the case. Annihilape is such a fanservice Pokemon through and through and I am absolutely in love with the care and attention to detail put into it: every single design decision made about it seems well thought out to make it both thematically inspired and as effective a competitive Pokemon as possible. Its type combination, on top of being coveted by fans, on a mechanical level it just feels thematically appropriate for its STAB options alone to hit all but 2 Pokemon in the game neutrally, as if nothing can stop its lust for base violence. Its improved bulk not only makes it great at using Rage Fist, a move that increases in power upon the user being hit (with a comical 350 BP maximum), but helps it feel fully realised as a furious, unstoppable revenant. In conclusion, Annihilape is one of the most ingenious designs and all round labours of love that Game Freak has ever added to the series and I absolutely love it to pieces. I’m truly happy to get to talk about this one so early on.

Final Verdict: 11/10 – Annihilape elevates this evolution family to a flawless masterpiece, finally delivering on Primeape’s fantastic premise and theme after 26 long years of great potential.