Pokemon Facts #109 - Koffing
We all know Koffing, bevcause back when we were kids and the Pokemon Original saga was on TV, we had the chance of seeing it weekly. How was that? Well, in case you don't remember, James, one of the TRio members, had one. If I am not mistaken, it was the first Pokemon he had during the Kanto Region episodes. Let's see some facts about this pokemon:
- In the Pokémon Red and Blue beta, Koffing was originally known as "Ny", representing New York City's polluted air. Besides the fact that it's a pretty short name, I don't think people from New York would have been happy to see that a Pokemon resembling pollution is named after their beloved city. But who knows? It's good that they did not go with this name. They choose Koffing, instead. I thing this is a lot more fitting.
- According to a question of a Pokémon Exam the characters of the anime participated in, Koffing was supposedly first discovered in a public bathhouse. However, the Team Rocket expansion's Koffing card states that Koffing was first discovered in a weapons factory. This may be either because Jessie answered the question incorrectly, or due to an inconsistency between the TCG and anime.
- Koffing and Munna are the only Pokémon whose names are mentioned in music found in the games. Munna's name is heard in ミュージカル「メロメロ★ムンナ」 Musical "Charming Munna", while Koffing's Japanese name is heard in タチワキジム(演奏・DOGARS) Virbank Gym (Performance - KOFFING), although it is replaced with the word "Pokémon" in international releases.
- This distinction is possibly shared with Wingull, as its Japanese name, キャモメ Camome, is arguably heard in the obscure vocals of ビレッジブリッジ Village Bridge.
- Koffing shares similar traits to Grimer and Trubbish. All three Pokémon are pure Poison-types with a single evolution and roughly the same base stat totals.
Thanks goes to Bulbapedia.