What were Pokemaniacs supposed to represent? I've heard parallels drawn to 'mad scientist', 'counterculture kid' and even 'young PI' before.

For years now, I assumed the cosplay element was introduced with Generation 3 alongside the change from Gamblers to Gamers because the old Maniac design invoked that of Columbine's trenchcoat mofia. Chronologically, this would fit, and I think it's a contributing factor for the change.

However, upon realizing a Maniac in Rock Tunnel references cosplay, I've been pondering over what the fuck initially inspired the design.

Were they cosplaying as Scientists in Gen 1 and Dragon Tamers in Gen 2? Or are they perhaps imitating a popular Japanese style from the time, much like Ganguro? Is his hairstyle from Stadium 2, the same as Silver's, a popular cut from that era?

To throw another shit theory at the wall, perhaps he was just supposed to be an amalgamation of design elements, much like the rival and lass-like characters who appeared on the April 1997 cover of Game Review. Regarding these designs, Sugi has said they were just generic RPG characters, despite the clear similarity between existing Pokemon designs.