Falinks is a group of small, bipedal Pokémon. A single Falinks is a formation of six individuals, similar to Exeggcute. It consists of five troopers and a leader, known as "the brass". Falinks usually march in a single file line headed by the brass, giving their formation the appearance of a caterpillar. This formation is known as the Column formation. However, Falinks occasionally break their formation to attack.
The six members rely on teamwork as their strategy to win battles, and constantly change formation when they fight. The five troopers follow their brass loyally, and the brass's orders are considered absolute by them. Falinks are capable of fitting into small holes, as shown in Route 8, where they can be seen marching and charging through small caves and crevices. A common formation that the members can change into is one in which the troopers stand in a triangular formation around the brass, either in front of or behind it, which is known as the No Retreat formation. In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, the members are shown to occasionally stand upon one another to execute certain moves, but this formation does not have a known name. In Pokémon UNITE, it is shown that the brass can also dispatch troopers to attack on their own, which is known as the Dispatch formation. As seen in Grabbing the Brass Ring!, Falinks troopers also have the ability to mimic the cry of other Pokémon.
An individual Falinks trooper has a black, spherical body with two stout, trunk-like legs. They also have blue, ovular eyes which can either be interpreted as being white or glowing slightly from their dark body. Each trooper has a golden, armored shell resembling a Spartan helmet that covers their dorsal half. This shell is topped with a red horn that continues into a small crest. The lateral sides of the trooper are protected by two horned plates resembling shields. Each of these shields features a red, central horn ringed in white. Each trooper also has a small red horn on their posterior resembling a tail.
The Falinks brass is the largest, strongest, and most intelligent out of the six members. It has a larger crest with an extendable horn it uses to attack and issue orders. The horn is supported by a golden anterior strut absent in the troopers. The brass's golden shell extends to the ventral half of its body. Unlike its troopers, the brass's lateral shields can be opposed. The brass's shields are often chipped or nicked. When Falinks is marching in formation, the brass holds its two shields in front of its face.
Unlike regular Falinks, the six members that form Mega Falinks become unequal in size. The brass and two of the troopers grow larger, with the brass being the largest. The members that form Mega Falinks arrange themselves in a humanoid formation — this is said to be its ultimate battle formation, and can only be achieved with strong bonds between the troopers and the brass. The brass of Mega Falinks gains four circular markings on the sides of its face, loses its back horn, and stands at the top of the humanoid formation as the "head". Two of the troopers form Mega Falinks's "arms": the right arm trooper grows a long horn like that of the brass, which functions as a spear, while the left arm trooper has a large shield atop its head. The upper formation is directly supported by a single trooper in the middle (bearing a seemingly pained expression because of this). The middle trooper's back horn is larger and further up its body, and it also has extended arms which it uses to hold up its shields for the brass to stand on; the shields themselves lose their horns and become all golden. The middle trooper is, in turn, supported by the bottom two troopers, which act as Mega Falinks's "legs". The bottom troopers are responsible for moving Mega Falinks around as they scuttle on their tiny feet; the formation does not bend or lift its "legs" to walk. All three of the lower troopers have horns that are pointier than before, but do not form a crest behind them.
Mega Falinks using its shield
The lower half of Mega Falinks's eyes are closed when scuttling
Falinks, the Formation Pokémon. A Fighting type. Falinks has a leader called the brass, and five followers called troopers. The brass gives all the orders.
Falinks is also the first Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution to be introduced after the mechanic was initially removed from the core series.
Origin
Falinks may be inspired by groups of soldiers in phalanx formations, where each unit is lined up close together and cover all sides with their shields, which Falinks's limbs resemble. Their heads resemble Corinthian helmets worn by hoplites during the period of Ancient Greece, adorned with golden plates and red crests. It may also be inspired by the Legio IX Hispana, also known as the 9th Roman Legion or the Lost Legion, which mysteriously disappeared in Britain around 120 AD. Falinks' presence in the Paldea Pokédex may be a reference to the Legio IX Hispana itself. Its Paldea Pokédex number being #300 may be a reference to the Battle of Thermopylae, where Leonidas I kept 300 Spartans in his army to guard their retreat after dismissing the bulk of the Greek army.
It may also take inspiration from eusociality, a kind of social animal behavior found in certain insects, crustaceans, and mammals characterized by, among other things, the division of labor of the members of the colony, which are sometimes called castes, like soldiers, workers, and the queen. In Falinks's case, the castes are the troopers and the brass.
In addition, Falinks is likely a visual pun on an admiral caterpillar.
Mega Falinks' conjoined humanoid appearance is likely based on depictions of combining mecha.
Name origin
Falinks may be a combination of phalanx, family, link (chain link), and "fall in" (fall in line).
Tairetsu may be derived from 隊列 tairetsu (a rank or formation of troops).
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.
Mega Falinks using its shield
The lower half of Mega Falinks's eyes are closed when scuttling
For other sprites and images, please see Falinks images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
