Quaxly Evolution Memes Celebrate "Yassification" of Quaquaval in 'Pokémon Scarlet' and 'Violet'
Published Nov. 18 2022, 2:24 p.m. ET
When the starters for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were revealed in February 2022, fans were excited to dive into the 9th generation of the beloved pocket monster game. Sprigatito the grass cat, Fuecoco the fire croc, and Quaxly the coiffed water duck quickly stole the hearts of Pokémon enthusiasts — with many lauding the generation's starters as the best-designed in a decade.
Fast-forward to November, and the Gen. IX starter Pokémon evolutions were leaked a week ahead of Scarlet and Violet's Nov. 18 release. Although there are mixed reviews on the Fire-type and Grass-type starters' final evolutions, fans are decidedly on the same page about Quaxly's final evolution, Quaquaval. And the memes are perfection.
Quaxly evolution memes are lauding Quaquaval as a gay icon.
Gameplay video leaks of Quaxly evolving to Quaxwell and then Quaxwell evolving into Quaquaval have elicited a nearly united response from Pokéfans: "Yasss!"
That's because the cute little duck (who is oddly reminiscent of a certain Disney mallard) transforms into a majestic peacock Pokémon with a strut many have likened to Captain Jack Sparrow.
Essentially, Quaquaval has become an unexpected gay icon. And people are here for it. See the animation for yourself.
Some were simply shook at how "yassified" Quaxly's final evolution turned out to be.
The general consensus of fans was that Quaquaval slays in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
Another Twitter user decided they were going to choose Quaxly over Fuecoco as their starter — based solely on the Water Pokémon's final evolution. Honestly, we can't blame them. The sparkle!
Another person tweeted a GIF of a group of women strutting determinedly in formation, alongside this message: "The girls, gays, and theys going to choose Quaxly after seeing its final evolution."
Basically, trainers couldn't wait to choose Quaquaval. (Thankfully, the wait is finally over.)
TikTok users slayed with their Quaxly reactions, too.
As this TikTok user lamented, "How am I supposed to pick between a weed cat and a gay duck?" She then recreated Quaquaval's iconic frolicking movements to show the struggle is real.
Another fan created a TikTok video featuring a hypothetical situation between himself and his future Quaquaval. The trainer called Quaquaval over to help fight off a Machamp, also mimicking how it strutted over to him.
He then scolded it, "Would you stop running like that? We talked about this. And of course, you come running when I say there's a Machamp. When I wanted to battle that wild Jynx earlier, you wanted nothing to do with it!" (For context, here's what a Jynx looks like.)
Someone else paired Quaquaval footage with sound from an animated movie called Pinocchio: A True Story.
What was the inspiration behind Quaquaval's design in 'Pokémon Scarlet and Violet'?
Not all players embraced Quaquaval — but one Twitter user had the perfect clap back for the hateful stance.
"The Pokémon community really showing their homophobia and transphobia when they say they don't like Quaquaval because it's 'too gay' and 'too flamboyant,' and also their ignorance and erasure of Latin American culture," they tweeted. "It's based on a samba dancer."
The same Twitter user later clarified that Quaxly's final evolution seems to have been modeled after a Carnival dancer.
Whatever the inspiration for Quaquaval may have been, we're just glad that it is here — and we can't wait to catch one of our own!
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now available for purchase and to play on the Nintendo Switch.