With 25 years of history, the Pokemon franchise has both revealed its fair share of lore in the universe, as well as seen a plethora of theories from curious fans. Such theories have spanned across the anime, such as trying to determine who Ash Ketchum's father is, to why certain gameplay mechanics have changed in mainline games. However, one monster that has troubled fans for years is the eery Cubone.
As if wearing a skull on its head wasn't unsettling enough, many of Cubone's Pokedex entries make note of how the skull it wears comes from its dead mother. Clearly, the Pokemon has quite a tragic backstory, but some fans can't help but wonder how exactly there are so many Cubone in the Pokemon universe and why they are all wearing the skull of their dead mother. Now, a new fan theory seeks to shed light on the whole debacle.
Over time, many fans have debated as to what Cubone actually looks like underneath the skull it wears, with many theorizing that it is a baby Kangaskhan. However, on TikTok, Pokemon fan prof_frags shared the theory that Cubone was not a baby Kangaskhan, but actually a sad, depressed young Charmander, and also explains how Marowak, Cubone's evolution, came to be.
Check out the full video here.
The theory says that when Charmander is born, it needs a parent Charizard to light its tail, but if the parent dies soon after Charmander's birth, the Pokemon's tail won't be lit and it will instead spend most of its time crying, mourning the loss of its parent. When the parent Charizard's corpse has rotted, the Charmander will don the skull of its lost parent, officially becoming a Cubone. Now, prof_frags explains that much like a Slowpoke evolves into Slowbro when a Shellder bites on its tail, Cubone evolves into Marowak when the skull on its head fuses with the Pokemon itself.
The fan also mentions that this theory accounts for the shape of the skull as well, since Cubone's horn-shaped protrusions match up exactly with those seen on the fan-favorite Charizard. This theory ultimately explains how Cubone came to be and how a Cubone is created, but possibly also that Cubone can be born as well, immediately bearing a skull if coming from a Marowak. The theory has subsequently gone viral on TikTok, garnering almost 400,000 views and over 60,000 likes.
While it is unlikely that The Pokemon Company will make any official statement on this theory, it should be interesting to see if it is ever hinted at in official Pokemon media. As Pokemon fans look forward to Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus, the excitement has brought about various fan theories, like one that may reveal the professor in Pokemon Legends.