How Pokémon Confirmed The Dark Cubone/Kangaskhan Theory

One of the most prevailing and dark Pokémon theories surrounds the maternal relationship between Kangaskhan and Cubone. Fans have long speculated the Pokémon Cubone is actually an orphaned baby Kangaskhan who now wears the bones of its mother for protection. If this theory is true, it would explain exactly why Cubone is considered to be one of the loneliest Pokémon in the franchise.

In several Pokédex entries, Cubone is explicitly described as wearing the skull of its dead mother. Should a baby Kangaskhan find itself orphaned, the skull and bones of its parent would provide ample defense for an otherwise helpless Pokémon. The orphaned nature of Cubone is central to its characterization, and a lack of maternal care leads to its evolution into Marowak. It’s then believed Marowak would later evolve into a Kangaskhan, in turn completing a three stage evolutionary family.

Those who support this theory often point out the striking similarities between a Cubone and a baby Kangaskhan’s physical appearances. These two Pokémon both feature nearly identical oval head shapes, similar body builds, clawed hands and feet, and a long, stump tail. The baby Kangaskhan also has two “ears” which look notably similar to the protrusions found on the skull Cubone wears. To make a dark Pokémon theory even darker, the skull itself strikes an eerie resemblance to the shape of an adult Kangaskhan’s head. Kangaskhan is not unlike a kangaroo in its stature, hence its tendency to carry offspring in a pouch. Cubone’s signature move, “Bonemerang,” also sounds a lot like “boomerang,” a possible tie to the Australian outback from where Kangaskhan might have derived its origins.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, it is theorized that Marowak was originally supposed to evolve into Kangaskhan. Since these games were geared towards a younger audience, an orphaned baby Kangaskhan wearing the skull of its dead mother may have been deemed too dark of a story, and in turn Kangaskhan became a standalone Pokémon. Game Freak, rather than removing the code attached to Kangaskhan’s evolutionary chain, moved Marowak’s evolution number to one that doesn’t exist in the games’ Pokédex. Many point to the presence of the glitch Pokémon ‘M as proof of this theory, as some believe it to be the remains of a scrapped Marowak prototype. In fact, if a player is able to successfully catch and level up ‘M, there is a slight chance that it may evolve into a Kangaskhan.

With the release of Pokémon Sun and Moon, more evidence has surfaced over the legitimacy of this fan theory. The games introduced a new game mechanic, “Call For Help,” which allows wild Pokémon to call in reinforcements when they hit a low HP threshold. Most often, these calls are met with the introduction of another Pokémon of the same species or a Pokémon within the same evolutionary family. However, when Cubone calls for back-up, it receives either another Cubone or a Kangaskhan. This strongly suggests the presence of a relationship between these two Pokémon, given the evolutionary family mechanics surrounding the “Call For Help” action.

While The Pokémon Company has not directly addressed the validity of these claims, it’s hard to overlook the striking similarities. With so much evidence pointing towards the legitimacy of a relationship between Cubone and Kangaskhan, this theory seems to feel quite plausible, especially since multiple Pokémon fans theories have turned out to be true in the past. This theory is poised to keep fans searching for more evidence as anticipation grows over the next game in the Pokémon series.

Source: Pokédex

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