Nintendo Announces “Herkychu” Pokemon; University to Sue

As some of you gamers, weebs, and furries might be aware, today is Pokemon Day! Originally established by fans as a way to celebrate the anniversary of the first game’s release in 1996, it has since been commodified by Nintendo as a way to advertise future projects by generating hype. Usually, they’ll announce minor spin-off games like Pokemon Rumble, Pokemon Snap, and the Game of the Year nominee Potty Trained Pikachu, but on very special years, main games may be announced and new Pokemon creatures can go along with them!

This looks to be the case for this year’s festivities, for in the leadup to the big day, leaks began to spread around revealing the designs for new Pokemon. These leaks are certainly convincing, showing a host of new critters that are just as adorable as they are marketable. However, one of the leaked characters, Herkychu, appeared to some to be oddly familiar for a lot of people. Those ruffled feathers, the stiff buzzcut, the pointed beak opening up to reveal a pearly-white grimace… by God! This Herkychu character is just a rip-off of University of Iowa’s beloved Herky! How could Nintendo do something so malicious?

Fans from across the globe, in an uproar, interrogated the gaming empire as to their blatant plagiarization. Surely, they had more integrity than to go after such a well-known and honored figure like Herky the Hawk. I mean, the guy has his own Wikipedia page for God’s sake! Nintendo attempted to deny these claims by stating they had express permission from the University and that the design was merely an homage. The University, in response, told the press, “I never said that,” and filed a Cease and Desist shortly after. If this matter is ever taken to court, Christine Weston Chandler has offered to serve as a witness given her past with Nintendo and being an all-around motherfucker–pun intended–regarding issues like these. It’s safe to say that Nintendo is in some hot water, and not even Gyarados can help them out here.