>>12423070Pokemon Diamond - "It is described in mythology as the Pokémon that shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms."
Pokemon Pearl - "It is told in mythology that this Pokémon was born before the universe even existed."
Pokemon Platinum - "It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world."
Pokemon HG/SS - "According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pokémon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world."
Pokemon BW/B2W2 - "It is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing, then shaped the world."
The in-game Arceus is quite clearly an avatar. Do you think Vishnu's only form is the blue man? Deities have the ability to change form, be reborn, and be in multiple places at once. If Arceus really is as powerful as is said, surely you couldn't capture it. What you can capture is an avatar, an avatar that is so insignificant that it doesn't even possess one thousandth of the *true* Arceus' power. I'm sure Arceus doesn't even remember where he left half of his avatars. Arceus is often considered to be inspired by the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, known for having 1000 arms, or deities from Shinto (which would fit more with its origins as Sinnoh's creator). However I always see more similarities with Vishnu. Vishnu woke up one day on the back of Ananta, a giant snake with a thousand heads. He created the world, and has saved the world in at least ten different incarnations (Narasimha, Rama and Krishna being the most well-known). Vishnu essentially has the properties of a transcendent deity; he can literally die and be reborn or inject himself into existence, but his godly existence is a constant. He has four arms: two in front represent his being in the physical world and the two in the back represent his foothold in the spiritual world (a similarity shared with Arceus).
