I've heard that Volcanion is based off a shisha/foo dog and after really looking at it, I think so, and the foo dog theme may just go even further than was originally thought.
As you can see, its body is actually comprised of two segments that resemble mountains.
People have also joked a lot about its ring being a stargate, but the fact that it looks like a gate may have just been intentional.
What do foo dogs guard? Gates, often specifically red gates.
Where are these gates often found? In mountainous reigons.
This leaves me with one bit of speculation: Could volcanion's lore ultimately involve it guarding something?
One more thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWuwASBT_-AIf you notice, the orange diamonds on its body light up when it attacks with its hoses. These are presumably what superheats the water inside of it. Just an interesting case of a design not only being set around looks, but also function
