Gather Around - What was Pancham's bad influence?

Standing at 6 feet 11 inches tall and weighing in at 299.8 pounds, it's my favorite and newest addition to the 'Bear Pokemon', it's Kalos' very own Pangoro. Known as the Daunting Pokemon, the word 'daunting' meaning intimidating, menacing, ominous, etc. Pancham, Pangoro's prior form, as well as Pangoro itself, are both based on real world Panda Bears. Pangoro's design also takes inspiration for Japanese Delinquent Leaders from the early 70's and 80's known as 'Bancho', the flowing Black Cape an the angry expresion being the homage. Pancham's name is a fusion of 'Panda' and 'Champion', while Pangoro's is a fusion of 'Panda' and the Japanese word 'Gorogoro', meaning 'rumbling sound.'


Pancham starts out as a simple Fighting Type, and according to it's Pokedex entries, it "It does it's best to be taken seriously by it's enemies, but it's glare is not sufficiently intimidating. Chewing on a leaf is it's trademark."


But, you start to notice something rather drastic about the change between Pancham and Pangoro. This is Pangoro's Pokedex entry from the same game, Pokemon Y. "It charges ahead and bashes it's opponents like a berserker, uncaring about any hits it might take. It's arms are mighty enough to snap a telephone pole."


Not exactly cute and cuddly anymore, huh? Theres a reason for that, and it's actually deeper than you may think. As of right now, Pancham is the only Pokemon in the series that has an Evolution Prerequisite of needing a certain Type of Pokemon in your party, and what kind of Type is that, you might ask? A Dark Type.

Pancham must reach Level 32 while there is a Dark Type Pokemon in your party to evolve.

At first glance, that may not sound too bad in comparison to real world wording. I mean, what, it isn't like some shadows or some darkness is going to be a bad influence on someone. Except...This is Pokemon. And in Pokemon, Dark Types are far more sinister than you may imagine.


From the sudden change of a kind Panda to an enraged and battle frenzied Panda, it is implied that at some point in Pancham's life, it came to know a role model that turned out to be a bad influence on the young and developing mind. A role model in the form of a Dark Type...So let's get right to the nitty-gritty. Whats so bad about Dark Types?


Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon or the Monster Fox Pokemon: Pokemon Black2/White 2 Pokedex Entry: "Stories say those who tried to catch Zoroark were trapped in an illusion and punished."

Absol, the Disaster Pokemon: Pokemon Ruby Pokedex Entry: "Every time Absol appears before people, it is followed by a disaster such as an earthquake or a tidal wave. As a result, it came to be known as the disaster Pokémon."

Houndoom, the Dark Pokemon: Pokemon Gold Pokedex Entry: "If you are burned by the flames it shoots from it's mouth, the pain will never go away."

Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokemon: Pokemon Sapphire Pokedex Entry: "If a traveler is going through a desert in the thick of night, Cacturne will follow in a ragtag group. The Pokémon are biding their time, waiting for the traveler to tire and become incapable of moving."


Now that we've made clear that Dark Types aren't exactly the best of role models, we must now address what exactly the Dark Type influenced on Pancham. And thanks to the Pokemon X/Y Anime, we may have an answer. Pangoro and Pancham are ALWAYS seen with a leaf or a plant in their mouths, and in both examples, both plant matter are described as 'chewing material'. Innocent at first, right? We all sucked on our thumbs or claws or tails at one point in our youth...However, theres noting innocent about this. This, is an addiction.


Specifically a Chewing Tobacco addiction. Pangoro's design is based on the design of Japanese trouble makers, and though the term began to die out as time progressed, it was briefly used to describe someone else. Someone else who, in America, had a massive Chewing Tobacco problem that caused many, many CHILDREN to use Chewing Tobacco as well. In Japan, Baseball Players were given the nickname bancho, and in America, many generations of children looked up to their favorite Baseball Players as their ROLE MODELS.
In the Anime's Pokdex Entry, it states that "Pangoro has an ornery personality. It holds a bamboo sprig in its mouth, which allows Pangoro to detect surrounding movements."

Tobacco is grown as a plant and is harvested and ground down into a chewing powder, so while what Pangoro is chewing is not a Tobacco Plant, nor do I believe Pancham's leaf belongs to a Tobacco Plant, theres something more to it.

Yes, yes what Pangoro holds in it's mouth IS a Bamboo Sprig, and while that sounds innocent and normal since Pandas in the real world love Bamboo, the biggest evidence that I can provide is, thanks to the Anime, we know something very...Peculiar, about Pangoro. In the Pokemon X/Y Anime Episode 11 'The Bamboozling Forest', and this is from the OFFICIAL WIKI:

'A frightened Chespin unleashes a Pin Missile that accidentally destroys the Bamboo Sprig Pangoro always carries in it's mouth. Without it's beloved bamboo, the Pokémon is left weak and ill. Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie finally find the Pokémon and immediately set out to find a new Bamboo Sprig so Pangoro can get it's strength back.'


Without it's Bamboo Sprig, Pangoro loses it's will to live. It's will to move, to fight, to, exist. In the Anime it is shown to be completely immobile throughout the entire episode, so much so that the Pangoro is TIED UP by a pair of HUMANS, and Pangoro, without it's Bamboo Sprig, does nothing to fight back. Do you know what this sounds like? This is check for check exactly how someone deprived of their addiction becomes. They become anxious, nervous, they feel weak and unstable, they lose the will to live, they lose themselves...


Heres the summary: Pancham, an unintimidating, small, childish little scrapper, wants to grow up to be big and tough. Pancham wants to be scary, but with his adorable appearance and attitude, it cannot be pulled off. Then, along comes a Dark Type, and honestly, any one of them would do. The Dark Type's cunning and wit, it's sheer evil nature, it's dangerous personality, it's all alluring to the developing young mind of Pancham. This is the perfect opportunity to become threatening! The Dark Type takes Pancham under it's wing, for it's own interior motive or not, and influences Pancham negatively. One could fitting say the old as time phrase 'All the cool kids are doing it~ Don't you want to be cool?' Instead of a proper role model working to get Pancham to stop the trademark leaf chewing, the Dark Type encourages it since 'Whats the worst that could happen?' Eventually...Pancham evolves into Pangoro, and the chewing goes from a simple and harmless attempt to be 'cool' and 'like my role model', to an addiction that has all but consumed the now Dark/Fighting Type, providing both a questionable strength, and a crippling weakness...All because of the role model...