‘Pokemon Sun’ And ‘Moon’: Alchemy Theory Reveals Iwanko and Starter Pokemon Secret From ‘Corocoro?’

Pokemon-themed Youtube content creator Eryizo is not the first to connect Pokemon Sun and Moon to alchemy and alchemical symbols, but he recently did so in such a convincing manner that the “theory,” which is becoming more of a sure thing every time we get new Pokemon Sun and Moon news, can no longer be ignored.

An example of news we recently received that strongly ties into the alchemy theory is contained in the Corocoro leak that was dropped on the world on June 11.

Pokemon fans will probably already know that the leak contained, among other things, two never-before-seen Pokemon named Nekkoala, a koala-inspired Pokemon, and Iwanko, a rock-type puppy Pokemon. The images and profiling of Iwanko were accompanied by a message saying that Iwanko and the three starter pokemon introduced in the May 10 Pokemon Sun and Moon trailer all share a mysterious secret.

Eryizo may have uncovered that secret, and it has to do with alchemy.

In his “Pokemon Sun and Moon Theory: Iwanko’s Secret Solved?” video, Eryizo points out that connecting the three starter Pokemon — Litten, Popplio, and Rowlet — to the three principal alchemical symbols is nothing new. Litten’s eyes and forehead markings make up an approximation of the symbol for sulphur, Popplio’s body, head, and ears approximate the symbol for mercury, and Rowlet’s round body looks like the symbol for salt.

Pokemon Sun/Moon's Alchemy theme goes DEEP!

I love it. pic.twitter.com/YMtUJ2gpFE

— Tim Poultney (@DreamsofLuxor) June 11, 2016

Eryizo found that, when seen in the pose in which Iwanko was depicted in the recent Corocoro leak, the Pokemon’s body, complete with paws, head, and ears, strongly resembles the alchemical symbol for lead. Lead is a metal found in rocks, which ties back to Iwanko’s previously bewildering rock typing.

One might see this theory as a bit too much of a stretch if it were the only vestige of alchemy and alchemical symbols in Pokemon Sun and Moon, but it isn’t. Far from it, in fact. Even in the small amount of information we already know about the upcoming Pokemon games, we have already seen plenty of other evidence that alchemy is at the core of the game’s mythos.

For instance, Solgaleo is virtually confirmed to represent the figure of a lion eating the sun, common in alchemy-related texts. Solgaleo’s Pokedex description even says Solgaleo is sometimes known as “the beast that devours the sun.”

Solgaleo: It is referred to with reverence as “the beast that devours the sun.”

En alquimia:

@WolfZombified pic.twitter.com/TyghfRuLgV

— Zukki. (@HaganeNoZukki) June 3, 2016

Still not convinced? There are plenty of other examples in what we’ve seen of Pokemon Sun and Moon.

In the footage where we see Lunala, the Moon Pokemon, at a darkened temple, we can clearly see the alchemical symbol for “earth” etched on the stone wall behind the Pokemon.

The four islands of Alola, the Hawaii-inspired region in which Pokemon Sun and Moon will take place, are representative of alchemy’s four elements — earth, water, fire, and air — what with the “earth” island being home to a series of canyons, the “water” island housing a giant waterfall, the “fire island boasting a huge volcano, and the “air” island sporting a very tall mountain that reaches past the clouds.

“Project Azoth” and “Azoth Kingdom” are concepts that have already been basically confirmed to play very important roles in Pokemon Sun and Moon and the origins of the mythical Pokemon Magierna, and “azoth” is a term used to refer to the element mercury in, you guessed it, alchemical studies.

There are many, many more pieces of evidence pointing to alchemy — or, at least, alchemical symbols – being central to Pokemon Sun and Moon, but they are too numerous to list here. Many Pokemon-centric YouTube channels, such as GameXplain, have very interesting (and lengthy) videos about more connections between alchemy and Pokemon Sun and Moon.

Each entry in the Pokemon main series video games seems to be based around some system of ancient mythology. For example, Pokemon X and Y‘s mythos was based around Norse mythology and centered around the legend of the tree of life. It seems that the mythology surrounding alchemy is the choice for Pokemon’s seventh generation games.

We’ll leave you with one more exciting possible connection, though. The image of a sun and the image of a moon, which are obviously the symbols of the seventh-generation Pokemon games, are the alchemical symbols for gold and silver. Does this confirm the theory that has previously been posited dozens of times that Pokemon Sun and Moon are related to the second generation Pokemon Gold and Silver?

Pokemon Sun and Moon news is coming at a very quick clip now, so Pokemon fans may have all their questions answered soon. And if Pokemon Sun and Moon news dumps do not confirm or disprove the alchemy theory, the fans will just have to wait for Pokemon Sun and Moon‘s release on November 10!

[Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images]