# Volcarona

Volcarona is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. It is the evolved form of the Pokémon Larvesta, evolving at a later level than any other Pokémon. It debuted in Pokémon Black and White, and can be found later in the game and as the signature Pokémon of the Champion, Alder.
Classified as a Bug and Fire-type Pokémon, Volcarona is designed to resemble a moth, featuring white, orange, sky blue, and grey into its body. It has six wings which were given sunspot-like patterns, originally having four before the designers decided that they want it to look more unique and powerful. It has been featured in most mainline Pokémon video games since, as well as Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, a new type of Pokémon called a Paradox Pokémon was introduced, which are either prehistoric or futuristic. Volcarona gets two Paradox Pokémon called Slither Wing and Iron Moth, which are prehistoric and futuristic respectively. Unlike Volcarona, Slither Wing is Bug/Fighting and Iron Moth is Fire/Poison.
Volcarona has been generally well received, both its design and competitive viability contributing to its popularity with both fans and critics. It being a strong Bug-type Pokémon was of particular note, with multiple critics considering it one of the best Bug-type Pokémon. Its design inspirations were also the subject of discussion, with multiple critics believing it was inspired by Mothra. Slither Wing and Iron Moth were also well-received for their designs, though their competitive usefulness was noted as being inferior to Volcarona's.

## Conception and development

Volcarona is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.
The species was introduced in Pokémon Black and White, titles produced for the Nintendo DS. In contrast to previous entries, director Junichi Masuda wanted to "play up the coolness" of Pokémon introduced in the title, and to that end the designs gravitated more towards using angular and sharp lines instead of rounded ones. In an interview with Nintendo Power, Masuda additionally noted that improvements in gaming hardware had also impacted their approach compared to previous entries, as it allowed for more detailed designs. Initially, roughly three times the number of necessary designs were conceived for the game, with designers bringing rough sketches to lead artist Ken Sugimori, who would speak with them individually regarding the features and the design would be revised. Those that made the final cut were then finalized by Sugimori who drew them in his own art style. Volcarona evolves from the Pokémon Larvesta, both being Bug and Fire types. Volcarona is inspired by large silk moths, and may be based on a saturniid moth, specifically the Atlas moth. Larvesta may be based on a saturniid caterpillar. Compared to other Bug-type Pokémon whom have fewer wings than insects, Volcarona has more.
The team realized that some types had too few Pokémon, choosing to add more of these types to the latter half of the game. They chose to add Volcarona as a strong Pokémon that appears in ruins. While designing it, they decided to use a moth design, reasoning that they had not made a moth Pokémon in a long time, wanting it to be strong and majestic. It was initially going to have four wing, but it was thought that it would too much like a regular moth, so they increased it to six. They made the wings resemble the sun, giving them sunspot-like patterns, feeling that it made it more majestic. The fact that it was the signature Pokémon for the Champion of Unova, Alder, gave them further incentive to make it look strong. Its design bears a resemblance to Alder's. Volcarona is said to appear following volcanic ashes darkening the atmosphere, using its fire to replace the lost sunlight.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, two new Pokémon were added called Slither Wing and Iron Moth, belonging to a class of Pokémon called a "Paradox Pokémon." Paradox Pokémon are variants of previously existing Pokémon species with different designs and types. One type of Paradox is prehistoric, and the other are mechanical Pokémon from the future. Both creatures were based on Volcarona, being prehistoric and futuristic variants respectively. Slither Wing is bulkier than Volcarona, featuring smaller wings and a spiky tail while staying on the ground as opposed to Volcarona. Iron Moth, meanwhile, is a mechanical Pokémon, featuring six mechanical wings that hover behind it. Slither Wing keeps the Bug typing, but changes Fire for Fighting. Iron Moth loses Volcarona's Bug type and gains Poison type.

## Appearances

Volcarona first appears in Pokémon Black and White, available later in the game. Evolving from Larvesta at the latest level in the series, it can be obtained after completing a puzzle. It is also the signature Pokémon of the Champion of the Unova region, Alder. It appeared in Pokémon X and Y and Pokémon Sun and Moon, though it, along with hundreds of other Pokémon, was left out of Pokémon Sword and Shield. It was later added in the first part of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass. It appeared in Scarlet and Violet. In addition, Scarlet and Violet added a variety of Pokémon called "Paradox Pokémon," which are variants of previously existing Pokémon from the past or future. Two Paradox Pokémon are based on Volcorona: Slither Wing, exclusive to Scarlet, and Iron Moth, exclusive to Violet. Slither Wing and Iron Moth appear in the team of the final boss, Professor Sada or Professor Turo, respectively.
Volcarona has appeared in multiple spin-offs, including the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series and Pokémon Go, the latter also featuring Slither Wing and Iron Moth. All three appear in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Volcarona, as well as its Paradox forms, have received multiple pieces of merchandise, including plush toys, figures, and more.

## Critical reception

Volcarona is considered among the best Bug-type Pokémon competitively by multiple critics. It is also considered a favorite by Pokémon fans since its introduction in Black and White. Hardcore Gamer writer Ryan Cartmel stated that only a few Bug Pokémon were competitively viable prior to Volcarona, including Scizor, Yanmega, and Shedinja, stating that a single Quiver Dance was enough to make it able to take on an opponent's entire team. He felt that it was among the best Pokémon in Black and White. Sports Illustrated writer Ryan Woodrow felt that Volcarona being the number one Bug-type Pokémon was self-evident, stating that Black and White seemed to treat it like a legendary Pokémon, including how strong it is, praising its competitive viability. One reason for its competitive viability, according to Woodrow, was that its Fire type helped counteract Bug-type weaknesses. He also considered it among the best Fire-type Pokémon, though begrudged how long it took to evolve from Larvesta. TechRaptor writer Robert Grosso felt that it was an exception to otherwise weak Bug types competitively. He attributed its competitive viability to a combination of factors, including its Bug/Fire typing, decent stat spread, and access to the stat-boosting move Quiver Dance, and a strong selection of diverse moves. He felt that it was a predictable Pokémon to battle against due to the ubiquitous Quiver Dance, but that it was still a challenging opponent. Game Informer writer O'Dell Harmon considered it among the best Pokémon, attributing it to its competitive viability and "exquisite" design, stating that it was a Pokémon that a player should defeat as soon as possible due to the threat it poses.
Robert Grosso considered Volcarona one of the best designs in Black and White. He praised it for a design he felt was complex without being too much; he stated that its white body is complemented by its orange wings, further improved by the use of sky blue and grey in its body. He stated that it was likely based on the Atlas Moth as well as sun god and goddesses from mythology. including the Seraph. Ryan Woodrow praised its design, offering similar comments about its colors to Grosso. IGN writer Erick Romero stated that Volcarona was inspired by the kaiju Mothra, believing that the two were similar in both design and being a protector. Entomologists Rebecca Ann Schmidt-Jeffris and Joshua Charles Nelson-Ichido agreed with this comparison, citing how its status as a protector following volcanic eruptions mirrored how Mothra served as a protector of people. Pocket Tactics writer Nathan Ellingsworth felt it was "clearly" inspired by Mothra, stating that a combination of its competitive viability and design made him make a point of always featuring a Volcarona on his Pokémon team in any generation whenever possible. He also enjoyed its type combination, finding Bug and Fire to be both unique and interesting. CBR writer Brittney Miller speculated that Volcarona may have at one point been a Legendary Pokémon, reasoning that the way it appeared outside of battle to encounter and in a hard-to-reach spot, Miller stating that this was reminiscent of encountering Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres in Pokémon Red and Blue. The fact that the location it's found in is an important spot also contributed to this speculation.
While Volcarona was a competitively powerful Pokémon, the power of its Paradox variants has been debated. Dot Esports writer Yash Nair felt that they were both too weak to be competitive, arguing that Slither Wing lacked good stats to hold up against threats and its type combination had a lot of weaknesses and that Iron Moth was both too frail and lacked Volcarona's Quiver Dance. Nair later felt that Slither Wing was a useful Pokémon after four powerful Pokémon became relevant to the competitive scene that Slither Wing was able to handle. Despite these competitive disadvantages, Nair stated that the two Pokémon were popular with fans, praising Slither Wing's design in particular. Screen Rant writer Devil Ellis Friend felt that Iron Moth was a superior Pokémon to Slither Wing in terms of competitive ability, finding He felt that Iron Moth was the best between it, Slither Wing, and Volcarona, though he found both Iron Moth's and Slither Wing's designs interesting. He appreciated Slither Wing's design concept, and felt that Iron Moth exemplified what people would imagine a robot Volcarona to look like. Game Rant writer Drew Swanson believed that Slither Wing was inspired by Larvesta more so than Volcarona, while Iron Moth inspired by Volcarona. He believed its physical features resembled Larvesta more, particularly the fact that neither fly as well as spiked horns like Larvesta and unlike Volcarona's smooth horns. He also cited the Pokedex entry for Larvesta, which stated that in ancient times, it was worshiped and feared by people who believed it could use the power of the sun against them. He argued that this ancient Larvesta may have actually just been a Slither Wing. The moniker for Larvesta, "the Larva that Stole the Sun," was also argued to suggest that Slither Wing, a Pokémon that is not Fire type, led to Slither Wing eventually getting the Fire type and becoming the Pokémon Larvesta.