>>48147952>>48148007>>48150525>>48150720>>48150720>>48150773It's not "based on over 100 concepts", it's based on a few concept and we can only guess because GF tends to be secretive about pokemon creation, tough gen 5 is one of the gens with the most info thanks to some interviews, including this line:
>>48150506Based on those interviews, in wich Conkeldurr is compared to a CONSTRUCTION WORKER and an OLD MASTER, I have to disagree with the interpretation of a circus clown & strongman, intention-wise, but I DO think is an ingenious interpretation that could work and some people DO like to think of the pokemon that way.
The red nose is explained by the old master aspect because in japanese media many old men are portrayed with red noses they got from drinking. It's to reflect that its old.
Conkeldurr's japanese name is "Roubushin". "Busho" means "warlord" so it's possibly based on a warrior or samurai, but rather than seeing the line as "construction workers AND samurai", one can see them as "construction workers that treat their profession like kendo", after all it's not rare in japanese media to see stuff like a family restaurant being treated as a martial arts tradition.
The stages in most pokemon lines are often based on growing up physically, but in most fighting types it's about going from aprentice to master. The Conkeldurr line is both. They are humanoid monsters that value tool manipulation skills and dexterity, they have big veins becase they need to move their hands and arms a lot, their way of life lines up with human construction workers so they help each other, and they grow wiser and more skilled as they grow older.
Also they look cool. 