Hakuryuu - Marowak

Marowak

Marowak (ガラガラ?, Garagara), known as the Bone Keeper Pokémon, is a portmanteau of marrow and whack (to strike), with "marrow" referring to the bone marrow within Marowak's skull-like head and wielded bone, and "whack" to represent Marowak's nature of striking its opponent with bones. Its Japanese name most likely refers to がらがら garagara, the onomatopoeia for "clattering," as in of bones.

A Marowak is, in essence, a larger, fiercer, more savage Cubone. Unlike its pre-evolutionary form, a Marowak's skull helmet is tightly fitted over its face, making removal more futile than it is with a Cubone. It's also more adept at using its bone club in attacks, and, most importantly, it no longer mourns over the loss of its mother, abandoning its plaintative and sorrowful spirit for one that can't be broken, no matter how many times it's been defeated. Where a Marowak collects its bones to use as weapons is a mystery, and, somewhere in the Pokémon world, there exists a graveyard where Marowaks are laid to rest.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, a strange, unidentifiable Ghost appears at the top of Pokémon tower in Lavender Town, a place where Pokémon are laid to rest. Upon the usage of a Silph Scope, the Ghost turns into a Marowak, presumably the one Team Rocket killed earlier in the game. It cannot be captured, and once defeated, its ghost is laid to rest. The Cubone in Mr. Fuji's house is often considered the offspring of this Marowak. In the later games, it can hold the item Thick Club, which doubles its physical attack power.

IGN noted that Marowak was a good choice for players early on in the game, calling it "decent". IGN editor "Pokémon of the Day Chick" also praised Marowak, calling it a "fine specimen". Loredana Lipperini, author of Generazione Pókemon: i bambini e l'invasione planetaria dei nuovi, discussed Marowak in a paragraph detailing death in the Pokémon world, calling its death in Red and Blue by the hands of Team Rocket as a notable exception to how a Pokémon would normally have a natural death. A GamesRadar editor found it weird that Cubone was given the evolution of Marowak, since its mother was killed. They also theorized that Cubone was originally intended to evolve into Kangaskhan due to the similar physicality of Cubone and Kangaskhan. They also referenced a rumour that Missingno. was a Pokémon that was intended to tie all of them together.