Klefki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Klefki
Pokémon character
Klefki artwork by Ken Sugimori
First gamePokémon X and Y (2013)
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypeSteel and Fairy

Klefki, known in Japan as Cleffy (クレッフィ), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori and first introduced in Pokémon X and Y. Klefki is a steel and fairy Pokémon that is the only known to constantly collecting keys. It was designed by Pokémon graphic designer Mana Ibe and was inspired by old mansions and secret keys. A short film about Klefki called Pikachu, What's This Key For? premiered as an opener for the 17th Pokémon film.

Klefki received a largely negative reception, though it gained the most attention among generation VI Pokémon prior to release. While multiple critics felt that it was a weird or terrible design, other critics spoke more highly of Klefki, defending it and other Pokémon based around inanimate objects. Critics also discussed how nostalgia impacts people's perception of Pokémon, citing the Pokémon Magnemite from Pokémon Red and Blue in comparison to Klefki. It also became a powerful Pokémon in competitive play, being a highly effective Pokémon in Pokémon X and Y's competitive scene.

Concept and design[edit]

Klefki is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy.[1] In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution.[2]

Klefki was designed by Pokémon graphic designer Mana Ibe, whose base idea derived from Kalos- the fictional region that Pokémon X and Y is set in- having an old history. Going off of that, they were inspired to add "story elements to a key design," basing the design mansions off of the concepts of old mansion and secret keys.[3] While discussing unique Pokémon designs, Pokémon character designer Ken Sugimori felt that Klefki exemplified the "variety and richness" of Pokémon species designs due to being based on a key ring.[4]

Klefki has two elemental types: Steel and Fairy, which determine its resistances and strengths to other types in the game.[5] It also does not evolve.[6] Writer Patricia Hernandez speculated that it was partially inspired by the Japanese yōkai Tsukumogami, which are household objects that gain souls.[7]

Appearances[edit]

Klefki originally appeared in Pokémon X and Y,[7] before appearing in future mainline titles, up to and including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.[8] and the fighting game Pokkén Tournament.[9] It appears in the mobile game Pokémon Go.[10] While Klefki was only made available in Pokémon Go in France on debut, it was discovered that parts of England, Germany, Spain, and Italy could catch it due to how developer Niantic designed the spawn area.[11]

Klefki debuted in the Pokémon anime in the short Pikachu, What's This Key?, where it used its keys to help Pikachu and his friends visit several worlds and realms. It later appeared in several other episodes of the anime.[12]

Reception[edit]

Klefki's design received mixed reception, identified by writer Imran Khan as the go-to example of issues with modern Pokémon designs.[13] Video game journalists regarded its design as among the worst of new Pokémon introduced in X and Y, characterizing the design as uninspired, insipid, strange, and an example of Game Freak's "creative bankruptcy".[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] VentureBeat staff felt unsurprised by the concept behind the Pokémon, arguing that the team had run out of ideas.[21] It has also been regarded as one of the worst Pokémon in general, with IGN readers voting Klefki as one of the worst Pokémon from Pokémon X and Y.[22][23][24][25] Hayes Madsen of Screen Rant claimed that Klefki should never have been made, deriding it for being based on an object.[26]

Official artwork of Magnemite as it appears in the series. Magnemite was frequently compared to Klefki due to various design aspects.

Kotaku writer Zack Zwiezen, when he originally saw Klefki, assumed it was a fake design due to the strange premise behind its design. He discussed how people differentiate modern Pokémon designs from classic ones, namely how a common criticism is that classic designs were "all-natural looking creatures." He criticized this notion, citing an earlier design in the series, Magnemite, as an example due to it being "screws and magnets." However, he digressed that Klefki may suggest that the designers were out of ideas and needed to take a break.[27] Fanbyte writer James O'Connor similarly cited Magnemite as an example of early Pokémon designs being strange, but still found Klefki unsettling despite the precedence.[28] VGC's Jordan Middler, Chris Scullion, and Andy Robinson discussed Klefki in their podcast, citing its design as an example of Pokémon's lack of design creativity as more games are released.[29] Other critics were more positive, with Chris Plante of Polygon, Tyler Treese of GameRevolution, and Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer regarding it as one of their favorite Pokémon.[30][31][32][33]

Despite criticisms over it being based on an inanimate object, there has been praise given to it from this angle. Kotaku's Patricia Hernandez noted that while some people dislike "inanimate objects that are somehow Pokémon," she defended it due to its basis on the Japanese mythological tsukumogami and Klefki's overall "ridiculous" design.[7] TheGamer writer Sergio Solorzano felt that the reason why people were more okay with Pokémon like Magnemite than they were with Klefki was because of nostalgia. He argued in favor of inanimate object Pokémon, and appreciated that Steel-type Pokémon were getting more creative.[34]

Despite early assumptions that Klefki would be a weak Pokémon,[35] Klefki was a significant Pokémon in the Pokémon X and Y competitive scene, among the game's top Pokémon due in part to being a "solid support wall."[34][36] Klefki's high placement was due to multiple factors, including its innate special ability, Prankster, and its access to certain status-affecting and support moves.[37][36] Its type combination was also significant in its placement, due to its typings giving it valuable defensive utility.[37] In Pojo's Unofficial Big Book of Pokemon, the author suggested it was a solid lead in battles, though it was a better fit for a support role in double battles.[38] VG247 writer Cassandra Khaw was disappointed that such a "sloppy design" was so useful competitively.[37]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A Look Back At The 20-Year Journey To Catch 'Em All". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Allison, Anne (May 2006). Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination. University of California Press. pp. 192–197. ISBN 9780520938991. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024 – via WorldCat.
  3. ^ Hilliard, Kyle. "Afterwords – Pokémon X & Y". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  4. ^ The Pokémon Company (December 2017). Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon Edition. Piggyback Interactive. p. xv. ISBN 9781911015437.
  5. ^ "15 Things That Make No Sense About The Pokémon Universe (And 10 Fan Theories That Do)". TheGamer. February 24, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "10 Pokémon That Badly Need A New Evolution". CBR. June 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "The Best (and Possibly Worst) of The New Pokémon Designs". Kotaku. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  8. ^ Webb, Ethan (December 8, 2022). "How To Find (& Catch) Klefki in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Pokken Tournament is getting a new character in Japan – Destructoid". July 1, 2016. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  10. ^ McWhertor, Michael (November 18, 2020). "Gen 6 Pokémon are coming to Pokémon Go". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Shaw, Luke (December 5, 2020). "Fans have discovered that 'Pokémon Klefki' is available in multiple regions". NME. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  12. ^ Hansen, Steven (January 10, 2014). "17th Pokemon movie based on X & Y, has Mega Evolutions". Destructoid. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Khan, Imran (July 13, 2023). "The Most Photogenic Pokémon We Want in the New Pokémon Snap". Fanbyte. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  14. ^ "Klefki is a Pokemon that is a KEY RING. IT IS A KEY RING". October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "Analyzing The New Pokémon Of X & Y". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  16. ^ January 2014, Brittany Vincent 29 (29 January 2014). "14 Pokemon that are basically just ordinary objects with googly eyes". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "15 Worst Pokemon Designs Ever". ScreenRant. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  18. ^ "13 Pokemon That Prove They're Out Of Ideas". pastemagazine.com. February 11, 2016. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Webber, Angela (2013-10-14). "Has Pokémon Run Out of Ideas?". The Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
  20. ^ Bailey, Kat (November 22, 2018). "Los peores Pokémon de cada generación". IGN. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  21. ^ "20 years have produced some seriously ugly Pokémon". March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  22. ^ Dayus, Oscar (28 July 2016). "The 7 worst Pokemon ever". www.pocketgamer.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  23. ^ Loveridge, Sam (December 28, 2016). "20 worst Pokémon designs ever, ranked". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  24. ^ "10 Worst Pokemon Designs". February 26, 2016. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  25. ^ "The Best & Worst X/Y Pokemon Revealed". 26 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  26. ^ "Pokemon: Klefki Shouldn't Have Been Made | Screen Rant". Screen Rant. 28 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  27. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (July 27, 2019). "Klefki Will Steal Your Keys And Never Give Them Back". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  28. ^ O'Connor, James. "The Most Disquieting Parts of Pokemon Sun and Moon". Fanbyte. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "Podcast: 'Is Klefki the worst Pokemon?'". VGC. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  30. ^ "The smaller Pokemon Sword and Shield Pokedex isn't all bad news". GameRevolution. November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  31. ^ Plante, Chris (September 28, 2018). "Bulbasaur has been the best Pokémon all along". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  32. ^ Hilliard, Kyle. "Kyle's Favorite New Pokémon Of Sun & Moon". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  33. ^ Hilliard, Kyle. "23 Of The Weirdest Pokémon". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  34. ^ a b Solorzano, Sergio (February 27, 2021). "Object Pokemon Are Creative, Actually". The Gamer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  35. ^ López, Ángel (July 4, 2017). "Los 10 mejores Pokémon más OP, chetados y rotos". Meristation. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  36. ^ a b Hillier, Brenna (February 4, 2015). "These are the most powerful Pokemon". VG247. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  37. ^ a b c Khaw, Cassandra (January 16, 2019). "What are the Strongest, Most Competitive Pokemon That'll Help You Build the Best Team?". VG247. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  38. ^ Pojo's Unofficial Big Book of Pokemon. Triumph Books. November 1, 2016. ISBN 978-1-63319-704-6. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

External links[edit]


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