>>45064562>It's based final stage for CharizardYes. If you ask people to make a pokemon based on a frog they're not going to make a tadpole unless it's something that eventually evolves into a frog. The final stage is the main focus of their designs, with the exception of pokemon who get new evolutions in later gens.
>O-Okay it doesn't HAVE to me a rat! Just something close enough as a rodent!>W-What? Echidnas aren't rodents? W-Well close enough!!!Cyndaquil's Japanese name is Hinoarashi which is a combination of hi, which means fire, and yamarashi, which means porcupine. Porcupines are rodents and played a role in it's design. Like a lot of Pokemon, Cyndaquil isn't just one animal + element, it's a mix of different animals + element.
>A-And Apes are Monkeys!! Same thing!!Creationism and a lack of understanding of evolution is a big part of pokemon's lore and most people who don't understand evolution and believe in creationism refer to apes as monkeys.
