You'll Either Love Or Hate Scarlet And Violet's Grafaiai Pokemon

Remember the movie Gremlins, when you fed a Mogwai after midnight or got them wet? Slap a Pokemon sticker on one of them, and you've got the latest addition to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Lurking in the shadows with a vibrant flair is Grafaiai. 

With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet just around the corner, we're getting more insight into the new 'Mon coming to Gen IX. Although there will always be critics that we're getting a new generation so soon after Sword and Shield released (also, whatever happened to Arceus?), the rest of us can't wait to expand the Pokedex. Love it or loathe it, Grafaiai is here to stay. 

What Is Grafaiai?

Following a typically cryptic tease of a brightly coloured Pokemon, it finally revealed Grafaiai. As the name implies, it's a variant on an aye-aye - complete with the same long fingers as the Madagascan lemur. It wouldn't be Pokemon without putting a twist on the creature, and as you can see, Grafaiai is what an aye-aye would be if it got hold of a can of spray paint.

According to the Pokemon Company, this Poison/Normal-type is known as the Toxic Monkey Pokemon. This territorial Pokemon often gets in fights with other species and spits poisonous saliva when it feels threatened. This is affected by the berries that it eats, leading to the different colours we saw in the teasers. Watch out though, a Grafaiai's concentrated attack can leave a foe immobilised for three days. 

Grafaiai's dangerous attributes don't end there. When the sun sets, Grafaiai licks its fingers and draws colourful patterns to lure prey in and paralyse them. Bug Pokemon has better be careful. You might notice that its appearance is literally modelled on a graffiti artist, with many noting it looks like it's wearing a hoody. Who knows, maybe Grafaiai is the real Banksy?

Players React To Grafaiai

While we think Grafaiai is a suitably cute and creepy addition to the ever-growing Pokedex, not everyone was convinced. One critic grumbled, "It's so ugly. Not going on my team that's for sure." Another said, "All this dedication to reveal such an ugly thing? Y'all should put half that effort into making a decent game." A third responded to a picture of an actual aye-aye and added, "That looks so cute compared to grafaiai/the ugliest pokemon ever."

Still, Grafaiai has plenty of support. As well as taking over Twitter with fan art already, one champion cheered, "Love the design! I just assume all of the pokemon playing artists out there will have this little guy on the team." Another added, "In all honesty, I think there should be MORE Pokémon with urban inspirations," and a third said, "Grafaiai is a delinquent and I love him." One thing's for sure, this is no paint-by-numbers Pokemon