Opinions onPokemonare pretty subjective. There are some things we all broadly agree on - everyone thinks Charizard, Absol, and Rayquaza are great, everyone thinks Stunfisk, Watchog, and Gumshoos stink. Within our shared agreement, there are differing shades of emotion. Most of us think Tsareena is pretty, but I thinkshe is my wife and I will forever worship at the altar of my mangosteen queen. There’s also room for quirks - I know Carnivine is nothing special, but I just think it’s neat. However, I have learned recently that Sudowoodo isn’t just one of those quirks where I dig it but understand that it’s overlooked by most, some of you seem to actively despise Sudowoodo, and that will not stand.
The internet is littered with ‘worst Pokemon’ lists or similar variations, and Sudowoodo seems to pop up on many of them. Most of the time, I understand. Like I say, we’re all on the same page with Stunfisk, Watchog, and Gumshoos. It’s a bit of a cheap shot to put Garbodor on there, especially afterSword & Shieldmanaged to make it a crucial part of its visual storytelling, but at least I understand someone looking at a big bag of trash and calling it trash. Anything else would be not seeing the wood for the rotting banana skins. Speaking of not seeing the wood for various mixed metaphors, Sudowoodo has no place on this list. It’s not a top ten, or even a top 25 Pokemon for me, but I’d find it a place in my top 50, and I can’t believe it’s so close to the bottom of the pile for so many.
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Let’s start with the name. Overall, I don’t think Pokemon get enough credit for their names. Some are just cute little noises, but a lot have thought put into them. The original legendary birds have the suffixes -uno, -dos, and -tres, for example. Even on a basic level, Scovillan combines Scoville (the measurement for chili heat) with villain to come up with a name that captures exactly what the art conveys. Of these, I firmly believe the cleverest of the lot to be Sudowoodo. Aside from the nice timbre of the rhyme, it’s pseudo-wood. Fake wood.
It’s a name that works on a couple of levels - Sudowoodo is shaped like a tree, but is actually made of rock, so it’s literally some fake wood. But its design, with its plant-like looks, friendly visage, and splashes of green mean many take it as a Grass-type at first glance, but it’s actually a Rock-type. It’s only a pseudo Grass-type. However, it’s Sudowoodo’s role in Pokemon Gold & Silver that especially sells not only its name, but its significance to Pokemon history.
Most Pokemon just exist for you to catch and train. Some get a little bit of extra fame either through being used by an important trainer or a special appearance in the anime, but mostly they’re just fodder for each individual player to use. With Sudowoodo though, it’s an important part of the story. It blocks your progression, and you must talk to a random florist to find a water bottle which will cause Sudowoodo to move. Early Pokemon games encouraged you to explore in this way, while modern day versions (up untilScarlet & Violet, at least) became increasingly linear affairs with every key item and core plot point handed to you with little effort.
Once you have the bottle, you can spray it on Sudowoodo causing it to wiggle. Douse it enough, and it springs into life, revealing itself not to be an inconveniently placed tree at all, but in fact a Pokemon. It’s a nice riff on the Snorlax encounter from the previous gen, with the added surprise that you don’t know it’s a Pokemon until it begins to move. It plays an interesting role in how you explore, and that’s a lot more than most of even the most popular ‘mons can say.
There are other elements too, but I will admit these are subjective. I like its funky design, its little wiggle. I had one in my team of Baby Evos for one run, and named it ‘Miley’ for its provocative twerking. I understand those particular qualities are a little more personal to me, and won’t impact how the general population feels about Sudowoodo. But looking at its overall qualities, and considering how many low cards Pokemon has in its deck, it’s a surprise to see Sudowoodo mentioned so often amongst its worst offerings.
Maybe Sudowoodo’s problem is that it’s too memorable. There are over 1,000 Pokemon now, and the most forgettable ones aren’t mentioned negatively because no one cares. Naming my Sudowoodo Miley was fitting in more ways than one - it’s obnoxious, controversial, and an acquired taste.
