Despite what many claim, Pokemon has never shied away from giving its monsters dark backstories. Even the adorable, innocent looking Psyduck becomes a Golduck, which are said to drag polluters to a watery grave.
Pecharunt is no different, being a Ghost and Poison type who awakens greed in people with its special mochi. Are they really the evil ones here though?
We like to think that no Pokemon is truly “evil”, but that is highly debatable. After all, the anime had a small arc where a group of Malamar planned to terraform the world for control supervillain style. Pecharunt’s behavior comes from less of a place of being a megalomaniac and more of an intention that may have been good at one point.
Let’s face it, Pecharunt is not exactly the cute and cuddly type. There’s a likelihood that humans ostracized it before it met the old couple. It’s important to remember that this backstory was in the era where Pokemon and people clashed; the one that Pokemon Legends Arceus showed. Humans were scared because they didn’t understand them, and their power was overwhelming.
If you were a villager back then and heard stories about the dangerous creatures in the forest, a Pokemon that looks like an otherworldly spirit is certain to give you a jolt. Therefore, it’s safe to say the little ghost didn’t have good interactions with people, leaving him to feel bitter and lonely.
Because of that, he gives the old people the toxic mochi to make himself feel safe. As long as he can control them, his life will be good, and they won’t leave. By giving them nice gifts, he’s feeding their serotonin so that they never hate him.
He repeats this with the Loyal Three, using his powers to make them stronger as a way to earn brownie points. From this, we can infer that he isn’t exactly the most emotionally secure of Pokemon, always seeming to need to have somebody around to fill in those gaps. In fact, he’s downright cowardly, choosing to go into hiding rather than facing up to Ogerpon. He refuses to take responsibility for what he caused.
It’s debatable if Pecharunt ever intended for Ogerpon’s trainer’s death, because they snuck in while no one was around. In other words, they weren’t exactly planning to slit his throat and take the masks. Unfortunately, three large wild Pokemon jacked up with a Legendary’s magic versus one human is never going to have a positive outcome.
While he may not have intended that move, Pecharunt knows what he did to others. In fact, he’s far from being a Pokemon that’s wholesomely unaware of what his powers can do. He’s the kind of greed-fueled villain that you can somewhat sympathize but whose actions you can’t excuse.
Pecharunt was evil because he basically took everything from Ogerpon. Because of him, she lost not only her sole companion, but her reputation, all because of some masks. It’s the perfect example of what greed, insecurity, and possessiveness will drive some to do.
Pecharunt is redeemable if he learns that power and material things don’t buy real friends. In the process of the protagonist of Scarlet and Violet catching him, he will learn a trainer’s genuine love. He’s a wicked manipulator, but his insecurities show he isn’t devoid of feelings. If he can feel, he’ll learn to love too, giving him a chance to finally start over. The end of his story is actually just the beginning.
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