So far, excitement in the Pokemon community has been split between the two new major entries in the franchise: Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. While all three games bring new, exciting things to the table, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl won't be adding any new Pokemon to the national PokeDex due to the fact that they're remakes. Pokemon Legends: Arceus, on the other hand, will feature plenty of new Pokemon and Hisuian regional variants that The Pokemon Company has been showcasing since the game was announced.
Interestingly, some of the Pokemon announced for Legends: Arceus have unusually dark origin stories. This might be because a handful of the new Pokemon shown off for the upcoming game are at least part Ghost-type, and Ghost Pokemon tend to have unsettling PokeDex entries, but the story behind newcomer Basculegion is especially dark. The Pokemon games tend to dance around the subject of what happens to Pokemon when they die while also frequently bringing it up, but Basculegion seems to be one more monster that's helping to illustrate a proper explanation for the Pokemon afterlife.
Basculegion's Dark Origins
Basculegion evolves from Basculin which was introduced in the Unova region for the fifth generation of Pokemon. Based on their appearances, Basculin resembles piranhas and already gives off an aggressive vibe, which is fitting as Basculin is literally the "hostile Pokemon" according to the PokeDex. Basculegion, however, is the "big fish Pokemon" on account of its large size, but that description doesn't quite do the Pokemon justice. While it is certainly a large fish, it features a ghostly design as the tail end of the monster dissolves into smoke.
The reason for this is because, in the Hisui region, Basculin only evolves into Basculegion when it's swimming upstream and the spirits of its schoolmates who died making the journey together possess it. This seems a little out of character for Pokemon's generally lighter tone that, while it certainly addresses ghosts and possession, tends to do so in the background and not front and center in Pokemon Presents. Making the monster even spookier, Basculegion "fights together" with the souls possessing it that will attack opponents "as if with a will of their own," according to the official Pokemon Legends: Arceus website.
The name Basculegion itself is an homage to demon possession featured in the Christian Bible. In it, Jesus comes across a man who's possessed by "a multitude of demons" who speak through the man's mouth, identifying themselves simply as "Legion." Eventually, Jesus releases the man from their possession, however, there doesn't seem to be any indication that Basculegion wants to be free from its possessors. Another section on the Pokemon Legends: Arceus website says that the monster "gains power from the souls possessing it, letting it swim on and on without tiring." It seems like Basculegion draws on the souls inside it for power, but that doesn't make it any less creepy.
As mentioned above, Pokemon Legends: Arceus seems to be addressing Pokemon mortality in a way that few other games have done. There haven't been that many new Pokemon shown off for the game yet, but so far, Basculegion isn't even the only one that's been possessed by the spirits of other dead Pokemon. The Hisuian version of Zorua is similarly possessed by the deceased members of its species who were also traveling across the Hisui region. The number of possessed Pokemon associated with Pokemon Legends: Arceus has given the entire game a somewhat spooky vibe, which could be the point, but it's certainly something of a departure from the overall lighthearted tone that Pokemon tends to strive for.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases on January 28, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.