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Grafaiai (Japanese: タギングル Taginguru) is a dual-type Poison/Normal Pokémon introduced in Generation IX.
It is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon.
Biology
Grafaiai is a short primate Pokémon resembling a lemur or loris. The top half of its body is mostly black and somewhat resembles a hoodie, while its forearms and the bottom half of its body are dark bluish-gray in color, with white stripes on its thighs and bushy tail, and two white toes on its feet. It has a white face with large ears, huge yellow-green eyes, purple eyelids, and a short snout with four nostrils and sharp incisors. It also has four tufts of blonde hair above its forehead. Grafaiai's most notable physical feature is its hands; they have three fingers each, with the middle finger being several times longer than the other two. These fingers are coated with Grafaiai's poisonous saliva, with the finger on its right hand always seen with two drops of the saliva hanging from it.
Grafaiai has a moody temperament and is attentive to detail. It is a solitary species, and often gets into territorial fights with other Pokémon, including other Grafaiai. Grafaiai's saliva is brightly colored and poisonous, and its color changes depending on Grafaiai's diet, which includes Berries and Bug-type Pokémon.[1][2] Grafaiai uses this poisonous saliva to attack foes, either by spitting the saliva at them or by coating its hands with the saliva before slashing at them. Should Grafaiai sense danger, its poison becomes more concentrated and can immobilize a victim for about three days once absorbed.[2]
Grafaiai is nocturnal. During the night, it licks its hands and fingers with its poisonous saliva, before using them to draw patterns on trees. This not only marks Grafaiai's territory, but it also draws in Bug-type Pokémon with its sweet scent. The poison causes Grafaiai's prey to be immobilized and trapped until Grafaiai goes to collect them at dawn.[2]
Trivia
- Grafaiai was first teased on August 29, 2022 through the official Pokémon Twitter account by showing pictures of the patterns it paints.[3] It got a second teaser on August 30, 2022 revealing its name and showing it as an obscured shadow,[4] before being properly revealed on September 1, 2022.[1][5]
Origin
Grafaiai may be based on three species of primates: namely the aye-aye, a lemur species with large eyes and ears and known for its long, skinny middle fingers, which it uses to poke into the insides of trees and catch insects; the ring-tailed lemur, which has black, gray, and white colorations on its body, as well as scent glands on its wrists that allow it to mark its territories; and the slow loris, which is the only known venomous primate — like Grafaiai, it has large eyes and venom that it mixes with its saliva.
Grafaiai's behavior of painting trees with its saliva may be inspired by graffiti art. With its connection to graffiti, along with its "hoodie" and hair sticking out of it, Grafaiai may also be partially inspired by stereotypes of various youth subcultures, namely hip hop and punk. Additionally, the patterns it paints on trees may reference the Oma forest, a public work of art by Agustín Ibarrola consisting of trees painted with bright colors and elaborate patterns, located in the Urdaibai natural reserve in Basque Country, Spain.
Name origin
Grafaiai may be a combination of graffiti and aye-aye. It may also be derived from Urdaibai.
Taginguru may be a combination of tagging (form of graffiti signature) and 猿 saru (monkey). It may also involve ジャングル janguru (jungle).
In other languages
| Language
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Title
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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タギングル Taginguru
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From tagging, 猿 saru, and possibly jungle
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 French
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Tag-Tag
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From tag with the name formatted similarly to aye-aye
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 Spanish
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Grafaiai
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Same as English name
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 German
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Affiti
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From Affe and Graffiti
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 Italian
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Grafaiai
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Same as English name
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 Korean
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태깅구르 Taeginggureu
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From tagging and the transcription of the Japanese name
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 Mandarin Chinese
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塗標客 / 涂标客 Túbiāokè
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From 塗鴉 / 涂鸦 túyā, 標籤 / 标签 biāoqiān, and 客 kè
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 Cantonese Chinese
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塗標客 Tòuhbīuhaak
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From 塗鴉 tòuh'ā, 標籤 bīuchīm, and 客 haak
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Related articles
References
External links
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This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
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