Pokemon Theory Imagines Clever Origin for Mimikyu

A clever Pokemon fan has developed an interesting theory that links Mimikyu to Clefairy. The Gen 7 Pokemon is already one of the more popular creatures in the franchise, largely due to its heartbreaking backstory and shy nature. Mimikyu’s appearance is designed to look like a creature disguising itself as Pikachu, but this theory posits that Clefairy may hold a greater connection to the mon.

In the lore of the Pokemon franchise, Mimikyu is a lonely Ghost/Fairy-Type creature that wears an ill-fitting Pikachu disguise in order to make friends, attracting them using the popularity of Pikachu. However, it’s said that anyone who looks under the costume and sees Mimikyu’s true form will unleash a terrible curse on themselves. There are still times when parts of Mimikyu’s true form can be seen, such as the occasional shadowy claw that will emerge from under the disguise when the critter uses certain attacks.

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A theory shared on the Pokemon subreddit by user CnidariaCoral suggests that Mimikyu’s true form is that of a Clefairy, or rather, a Clefairy Poke Doll. Originally, Clefairy was going to be the mascot of the Pokemon franchise before Pikachu, with Red even having a Clefairy as a starter in the original Pokemon manga. However, Pikachu replaced Clefairy as Ash Ketchum’s partner Pokemon in the anime at the last second due to the belief it would have broader appeal, solidifying Pikachu as the face of Pokemon instead of Clefairy.

User CnidariaCoral goes on to theorize that Mimikyu’s jealousy and desire to look like Pikachu were born out of the fact that Clefairy was replaced by Pikachu as Pokemon‘s mascot. The Poke Doll item is most often depicted as a Clefairy doll in the games, which makes sense given that Clefairy was going to be the original mascot. According to this theory, a Clefairy doll became so jealous that the Pikachu dolls were selling out while it wasn’t, that it gained sentience and put on a Pikachu disguise in order to appeal to fans of the yellow Mouse Pokemon.

CnidariaCoral supports this theory with the evidence that both Clefairy and Mimikyu are Fairy-Type, with Mimikyu even having the exclusive Let’s Snuggle Forever Z-Move in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Since snuggling is something that Poke Dolls would be used for, it’s easy to see how a connection could be made there. The first time Sun and Moon players encounter Mimikyu is at the abandoned Thrifty Megamart on Ula’Ula Island for Acerola’s Ghost-Type trial, furthering the idea that Mimikyu is the ghost of a forgotten plushie that was once for sale.

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Additionally, Clefairy and Clefable have another fan theory that connects them to the Ghost Type, with some fans believing that Gengar is meant to be Clefable’s shadow, giving the Fairy-Type Pokemon a ghostly counterpart. As most commenters on user CnidariaCoral’s post point out, this theory, while interesting, isn’t likely to be canon since Mimikyu already has a pretty well-documented lore behind it. Even if this is only a fan theory, it provides some surprisingly compelling evidence that should drive fans to think more about the connection between Mimikyu and Clefairy, who are already two of the franchise’s most enigmatic creatures.