With almost a thousand Pokemon inhabiting the Pokemon world, there is a critter for everyone to fall in love with. However, in every generation, a handful of Pokemon stand out for a couple of reasons. Some catch the attention of gamers because they are cute starters, others because they are powerful beasts that can quickly level out any battlefield, and a few, like Lugia, gain fame due to their rareness and their appearance in Pokemon films.
Lugia was introduced to the gaming world with Pokemon's second generation, and it has since become iconic thanks to its striking design, its appearance on the cover of Pokemon Silver and Pokemon SoulSilver, its Psychic/Flying typing which puts it at a competitive advantage, and its Legendary status. Fewer fans are aware, however, that Lugia has a tragic backstory linked to its designer, Takeshi Shudō.
Lugia, the Guardian of the Sea
It is pretty easy to recognize Lugia, as it has large wings, white feathers, a long neck and tail, and blue flaps running down its back. In Pokemon: The Movie 2000, there is a prophecy that claims that one should not disturb the harmony between fire, ice, and lighting, or they will wreak destruction. The only one who can end the fighting is the water's great guardian. As Ash and his friends discover, fire, ice, and lightning represent the three legendary bird Pokemon Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos, and the great guardian is Lugia, whose Psychic typing allows it to telepathically communicate with humans.
Gamers may notice a few odd things about Lugia. Firstly, despite being closely associated with water, it is not a Water-Type Pokemon. Furthermore, although it has quite a maternal nature in the Pokemon movie, Lugia has a booming, masculine voice. A lot of these strange aspects of Lugia can be traced back to Shudō, a brilliant artist who occasionally butted heads with Game Freak. There was a lot of sadness in his life, though through tragedy, he produced a beautiful Pokemon.
The Tragic Story of Takeshi Shudō
Shudō was an integral part of the Pokemon franchise. He served as the chief writer of the original Pokemon anime series, as well as the first three Pokemon movies, which led to him designing Lugia. However, he never intended for the Pokemon to appear in any games, and he was quite surprised when he saw it in Pokemon Gold and Silver. Things were not going well in Shudō's life when he was designing Lugia, however. He consumed alcohol and tranquilizers to an unhealthy degree as part of his creative process, and he became oddly obsessed with the Pokemon he had created. It was a unique Pokemon, as it was the only one that was not created by a Game Freak team member.
Though Shudō had many eccentric ideas for Lugia, one by one they were chopped away by executives at Game Freak. At first, Shudō did not want Ash and Team Rocket in Pokemon: The Movie 2000, as he wanted to focus on Lugia and Lawrence III, the main antagonist, though this idea was shot down. Furthermore, he designed Lugia as a guardian of the sea, but it received Psychic/Flying typing in the Pokemon games to make it more competitive. Shudō also wanted Lugia to be female, but the Pokemon ended up with a male voice in the movie. This was something that greatly pained Shudō, and he wrote about it until his death.
Unfortunately, Shudō's drug use may have eventually caught up to him, as he passed away in 2010 at the age of 61, and the cause of death was determined to be a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Nevertheless, his legacy lives on through Lugia, one of the most majestic Pokemon in the Pokemon world.