Rowlet the Owl Pokémon

Salutations my tiny monstrosities welcome to the 33rd week of the year. As we are drawing closer to the end of the summer vacation season, it is time to take a little vacation together. A trip to both Hawaii and Alola as we look at the adorable Pokémon that has become an icon for a big group of bloggers who symbolise something very important to me.  The Otaku Warriors for Liberty and Self-respect or OWLS for short! A big shout out to you guys and your amazing cause! This is a little something about their avatar, and one of my favorite starters of all times.

A little problem solver

Alola as most people know is a Pokémon Region based on hawaii. We could start with the fire kitten Litten, the pink nosed singing seal Popplio or the adorable little owl Rowlet.

It’s name very simply comes from a combination from round and owlett.  As it’s a round baby owl this of course makes perfect sense. Yet people sometimes question if Rowlet does belong. The Tytonidae species that Rowlet seems to be based on isn’t  native to the islands of Hawaii after all. Though loved as a pokemon people really questioned if it belonged there.
Well the answer is yes. The Tytonidae species, also known as the Barn Owl has been important to the volcanic islands to take care of a rat infestation there. Much like the mongoose, which  Yungoos is based on the barn owl settled into Hawaii after. People still say it doesn’t belong , yet it keeps a much bigger problem away. Though it might be a stranger unlike the local wildlife, much like Rowlet seems to be.. or the people the OWLS fight for , it has found its place in the lands. It may not always be loved ..but without those barn owls, without rowlett that land would suffer through much worse. It’s Pokédex entry mostly stays true to  the regular owl but mentions that the owl uses photosynthesis during the day to fuel it’s night time hunts.

A reversal of fate

The little owl’s evolutionary line is filled with some fascinating facts and and titillating trivia. As Rowlet begins to evolve it becomes increasingly rare in terms of species and type of owls. Dartrix it’s first evolution is based on the Peoh owl.

An owl that IS in fact  from the place the Alola region is based upon. Dartrix is being described as a bit of a dandy and a narcissist in the Pokédex it is incredibly sensitive to the presence of others as well as an excellent marksman with it’s darts. Looking at the Peoh though we can see a dramatic shift in tone for the fate of the owl. Where Rowlet is very common but unwanted, Dartrix or the Peoh is quite accepted but endangered. The reason for that is because it’s a bit of a sickly owl that is extremely vulnerable to pollution, which is shown by Dartrix grass typing having a weakness for the poison type. Dartrix and the other Peoh are dying out because of the arrival of humankind. Even though humans accept the peoh they refuse to change their ways or to adapt so they can live alongside each other. Where Rowlet shows us that times change and we have to accept that sometimes rather than alienating the new, Dartrix teaches us that it’s not enough to accept something in our lives we have to always adapt a bit to it too , otherwise it can still die out. 

A tragedy completed

When Dartrix evolves in Decidueye it loses it’s flying type in favor of a ghost type. Given that we seen  the bird from common to endangered already we can predict what this means of the owl Decidueye is based on. Indeed, the stilt owl has gone extinct. It has never been discovered by a scientist  while alive.These birds lived on the island before mammals and their predators were a common presence. They hunted birds, mostly sea-birds (once again justifying it’s grass typing as grass is super effective against grass)  which is reflected by Decidueye’s design looking like an archer/ranger.

When mankind came to the islands they brought cattle with them like pigs that seemed to have preyed on these birds, but something else preyed on them as well namely Polynesian rats. Having evolved purely for combatting other birds the stilt bird had no answer to these and was thus wiped out by  the plague humans brought along in the first place. These rats formed so much of a problems in the later days they had to bring in Barn Owls (and thus Rowlet) to combat the problem that they started in the first place, and now that same life form for solving THEIR problem. The thing that killed Decidueye was the same thing Rowlet was brought in here to fight. Completing a circle of owls and highlighting the faults of man. Decidueye can be a metaphor of not being acknowledged at all, mankind just imposed their standards on the new land not knowing what was best being ignorant of how life truly works.  Just like how many cultures adhere to binary systems, only one system can be right how there is only one true god or whatever limitations society imposes upon the world. Decidueye is stated to cool and cautious but that is prone to panic attacks when caught/spotted though. They like to live more withdrawn and hidden and pull up their hoods when they are under high pressure. A feeling most of us oddballs or shut-ins would be able to relate to i’d think. Unfortunately I can’t shoot a pebbled from a mile away so.. I am unable completely relate to it after all. 

Mythology is a hoot!

So now that we have looked at the complete line of evolutions let’s take a look at owls in Hawaii in general.  They are of significant importance to their classic culture. The owl is actual somewhat of a sacred animal to the natives. The owl in its wisdom is said to be a sort of guide. You are lucky when you see an owl because it will watch over you and protect you.
The owl to the natives is like a guardian angel that watches over you. It is also the patron of lost souls, helping them face their demons throughout their journey. Rowlet in the anime , though more comical seems to also be a guide for Ash, like most of his scouts but nonetheless it seems to meet the brief.   It’s such a good owl!

The hawaiian god Kane also seemed to have an owl form to protect its own. So indeed the owl is a warrior of justice and there even is a theme of self respect to find in the pokémon’s evolutionary line, although a bit tragic. We start out with Rowlet which basically only comes out in the dark, but when it evolves it gets its pride and shows itself to the world, however when it evolves again, it has learned to become more cautious and cool, it has learned how this world works and how it manages to function it. Thus I’d say Rowlet is the perfect symbol for the OWLS bloggers and a beautiful pokémon from which we can learn some lessons if we do not what to repeat our mistakes. Though the Rowlet->Dartrix->Decidueye evolution seems a bit circular in nature. It might not be so easy to reach those goals for people to accept, adept and account for others than them. Perhaps some brave bloggers out there can make sure it will still get it’s mega-evolution. One that can lose the hood with pride.

Thusly we end a bit of a different analysis of a Pokémon. Looking a bit more behind a pokémon than just directly at it. Talking a bit more about a subject that lies close to my heart as well. I do hope you still enjoyed the post. As my health seems to falter a bit I hope I can keep bringing some nice content this week. Should I miss a day now you know why. What Pokémon would you like to see me take a look at? Let me know in the comments and remember:
I am not weird, just very pink!
Until we read again!