Pokemon Go player brings Legendary Pokemon back to its real-world origins
NianticOne Pokemon Go trainer was able to bring a fan-favorite Legendary back to its real-world origins and fans loved it.
Despite Pokemon being entirely fictional creatures in a fictional world, nearly all 1,008 of the current monsters have their roots in some real-world animals, objects, or phenomenon.
However, some Pokemon, such as Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, draw inspiration from mythology and legends from different cultures around the world.
Now, one Pokemon Go fan was able to bring the Legendary Generation 3 Pokemon, Rayquaza, back to its real-world roots in an incredible AR screenshot.
Pokemon Go trainer brings Rayquaza back to its roots
A trainer on the Pokemon Go subreddit made a post titled, “Guys, it finally happened…” where they posted a screenshot of the Chichén Itzá temple located in Yucatán, Mexico. Above the historic structure hovered a giant, Shiny Rayquaza.
The OP captioned the photo and said, “My Rayquaza came back to its origins! Context: Chichén Itzá is the temple for the feathered snake Kukulcán, which is partly the inspiration for Rayquaza’s design.”
While Rayquaza’s physical appearance is likely more in line with typical depictions of Chinese dragons, its in-game lore closely aligns with the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl, also known as Kukulcán in Mayan culture.
Quetzalcoatl was a giant feathered serpent who created the boundary between the earth and its oceans and the sky. Pokemon fans who’ve played through the Generation 3 game, Emerald, will recognize the parallels between Quetzalcoatl’s mythology and Rayquaza’s role in the game’s story.
The Pokemon Go community loved this callback to Rayquaza’s origins, with many praising the screenshot. “Please tell me you made that it’s capture card photo. That’s an amazing pic,” said one fan, to which the OP confirmed they did.
Others wondered where they could take Legendaries from different Generations to parallel their real-world inspirations. “So cool!! Now I’m inspired too, I wonder where I could hang out with my beloved shiny Giratina…”