My CramoRANT about these Perfect Pokemon... 🐟🦤 Gnoggin- Barraskewda, Arrokuda & Cramorant Explained

The fish are NOT Barracudas... and Cramorant? More like Cramo-run for your lives! it's gonna get ya! This bird pokemon from Pokemon Sword and Shield has a surprisingly deep design, and that's despite it being so close to its source material too! We'll also cover the two fish it shoots as projectiles: Arrowkuda and Barraskewda. What are they REALLY? because the answer isn't "just barracudas."
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Written by Biotaverse: / biotaverse
Thumbnail art and Cramorant Comic by Taplaos: / taplaos
Chapters:
00:00 So Cramorant.
09:37 Cramorant eats a Pikachu
10:31 What is Arrowkuda?
13:29 Barraskewda Origins
#pokemon #cramorant #pokemonswordshield
Gnoggin, hosted by its creator Lockstin, is a show delving into the mysteries of Pokemon! (and other games sometimes too). Explaining everything there is to explain! Why is each Pokemon given the type it has? What are their origins? What is the lore of the Pokemon world and the design inspirations? And what does it all have to do with alchemy? Let's Go find out!

[@Gnoggin]

Hello hello! Our channel JUST left its MCN and went a week without any monetization, so for the next short while we are in need of extra help while we get everything re-situated. So now more than ever your Patreon support is extremely appreciated! ➤ www.patreon.com/Gnoggin Of course look after yourself first tho, and thanks for even considering :)

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Mj

[@Cliffordlonghead]

First

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Awesome video

[@qwopout7443]

4th but actually 2nd

[@kjl3080]

I know how stressful monetization is for KZbin creators so I’ll consider it

[@TheLadyLiddell]

I always thought the Pikachu in its mouth was a cheeky reference to surfing Pikachu. So basically this poor Pikachu was surfing and ended up in Cramorant's mouth.

[@zythe69akaru]

Oh totally!!!!

[@Yoshizuyuner]

thats pretty much the main reason why it happens

[@sylviadailey9126]

Crameront is both water and flying type. Both of them have Pikachu variants. So Crameront could alternatively catch surfing Pikachu at sea or flying Pikachu in the air. Flying Pikachu is the one with balloons.

[@jacoosacoon118]

THIS! I was searching for this comment!

[@coatrak1357]

@@sylviadailey9126 pikachus natural enemy....

[@Enteringdullsville]

I love how Cramorant is basically a regular bird in this world of fairy owls and fire-breathing falcons.

[@recitationtohear]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5zbpGOVicp-kLs Finally it's here

[@thewoofalo631]

Sums up my love for him perfectly see me on vgc Pokémon showdown with a cramorant based team zacian got no chance there a new deity in the meta now

[@noahberan6498]

Who's the fairy owl?

[@Kaizan98]

@@noahberan6498 togekiss I think

[@adam.n-steve]

@@Kaizan98 It's a dove tho

[@SpiderRiderKya]

Part of the reason that Cormorants have to sit and let their wings dry like that is, unlike many other diving birds, their feathers aren't waterproofed, so they gotta, stand and let'em dry or they'll be soggy birds.

[@Ryodraco]

And to add to this, the lack of waterproofing is to help the birds sink more quickly when they dive.

[@10bankai01]

How unfortunate for a bird that dives to fish essentially doesn't have waterproof wings.

[@draghettis6524]

@@10bankai01 As it was already said, it's better for them to not have waterproof feathers, as waterproof feathers would trap air and make diving harder and more energy-consuming. And cormorants are not northern gannets, they dive from the surface, not after a huge fall, so they cannot just use more kinetic energy to counter the cost of diving.

[@callmesilver2683]

Soggy birb likes soggy bred

[@Galarticuno]

4:27 Was looking into the spot as I suspected it wasn’t a spot. Turns out my suspicion was found as it’s more of just a parting in the feathers. This was made visible with Pokémon Home’s 3D function. Most times, you’ll just not even see the gap as the surrounding feathers make it seem nonexistent.

[@zerokura]

So your like seeing under feathers since it's a water bird? That's a neat detail they added.

[@ElysetheEevee]

I kind of always figured that as well. I had sketched out some Cramorant ideas for the Pokemon Art Contest last year, so had to look over many references. Makes sense!

[@p.zansei3280]

Actually, Pikachu lodged in it's mouth has another reason for existing, when you remember that surfing pikachu is a thing, made more prevalent in gen 8, when it can learn the move via TR outright in galar. Finding a pikachu in the water isn't as Farfetch'd as it would normally be.

[@starlight0313]

youd need for a trainer to tr it tho

[@icelandgaming]

@@starlight0313 who said it had to be a wild Pikachu?

[@xeanheart2614]

That pun, I feel, shot over way too many heads.

[@pika1222]

It could also be a reference to how Pelican’s are known for trying to eat anything they can, from rodents, birds, and fish, to animals that they have no business trying to eat, like a Capybara or a Cat

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

So *this* is the rant video you were talking about. Also, that intro was...kinda something lol

[@megalo5850]

So Cramorant.

[@cramorantisgod4533]

I’m glad to see someone realized the pure awesomeness and wonder of Cramorant.

[@locomokuu2471]

I'm not sure if this is a legitimate religion, but yeah sure I can get behind it

[@thewoofalo631]

Yes he is a god let’s start a cult

[@bdouggie5675]

My man

[@animehunter]

As much as I agree, I can't help but feel you might be biased.

[@No_pro_bro]

Ikr The moment i saw gulp missile in action i felt in love 😂

[@JokingBlorgnath]

Never in my life did I expect to watch a creator I tune into often doing that with a fish lmao

[@spicybeantofu]

Poor fish lol

[@EmiCheese]

Yo, can we apreciate again how new pokemon designs kick ass while still feeling like Pokemon? I feel like we say that a lot, but not enough. I love these three, for example. I remember feeling Barraskewda was a little jarring when it first evolved on me, but I grew to love the little torpedo guy so much.

[@sekaihunter9378]

That little torpedo guy can be faster than Regieleki and murder a G-Max Charizard or a Groudon under the rain, mind you.

[@jembozaba4864]

@@sekaihunter9378 It’s mainly why I’m not a fan. I’m a Monotype Fire trainer. I’ve lost many a battle because of them. But I do have a counter system in place

[@victorlinares4137]

@@jembozaba4864 bruh that sounds so hard mono fire looses to water and rock so badly.

[@jembozaba4864]

@@victorlinares4137 Rock is a massive problem. Water less so. Dragon is pretty bad as well. I’m super excited for what Fire types SV give me

[@dumbsterdives]

gen 8 and 9 have both been great for giving us new Silly Guys™️

[@Scudge0]

Looking at other art of Cramorant, I think that white dot is a gap between feathers (that’s what it looks like on the art where it is spitting Arrokuda anyway as there appears to be a black seam line between the feathers)

[@PoisonFlower765]

Oh hell yeah, I love this Mon. Easily one of my favorites of the "mon with a weirdly specific relationship with another mon" group. Next to Mantine and Remoraid, Slowbro and Shellder... okay it's a niche group, but Cramorant and Arrokuda is my favorite of the bunch.

[@matthewdykeman8149]

Don't forget Karrablast and Shelmet.

[@PoisonFlower765]

@@matthewdykeman8149 GODDAMMIT I LOVE THOSE HOW DID I FORGET THEM??

[@PoisonFlower765]

@Jieca Misla I got botted! Between this and my unexpected 1K likes earlier, this has to be the most accomplished day I've ever had in KZbin comment sections!

[@samanthashoner5245]

@@PoisonFlower765 There's also Heatmor and Durant, Zangoose and Seviper, and Yungoos and Alolan Rattata

[@PoisonFlower765]

@@samanthashoner5245 those all are really just counterparts, rivals even. Cramorant uses Arrokuda as an attack. Shellder makes Slowpoke evolve. Serviper and Zangoose... just don't like eachother. No fun game mechanic, no interesting lore just... they just fight a lot.

[@Wolfbane382]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one who was like "Ummm, how did it get a Pikachu in its mouth?"

[@Yoshizuyuner]

pikachu can learn surf

[@SuperGamefreak18]

@@Yoshizuyuner you mean it abducted a surfing pikachu

[@kevinstephenson3531]

@@SuperGamefreak18 and tried to eat it

[@spindash64]

I always just assumed it was achievements in ignorance. It’s too stupid to realize Pikachu aren’t found underwater, so it finds one anyway

[@quinnbell2388]

The pike connection does seem solid. I will also point out that the dex entry called out it's 'spear'-like body, and I believe that a pike is also a type of spear that was commonly used to fell cavalry

[@metarcee2483]

Yup. The poles could be ten feet long.

[@nazeersadek6705]

I’m honestly surprised by how much inspirations these 3 Pokémon has while still looking like good Pokémon that aren’t over designed

[@pteroid11]

I was just thinking of having a Scarlet/Violet team themed around ‘I have a Cramorant…here’s all the things the stupid bird tried to eat’. The rest of the team being like Trubbish or Chewtle or something

[@trustindean5164]

I actually have heard before that the reason it sometimes comes back with Pikachu is a reference to the surfing Pikachu thingy. After all if the Pikachu is surfing on the water its easily accessible.

[@IcecreamCat23]

That intro…. That sarcasm… Those rants… I love this video already

[@toondrake5964]

Facts of the Funs: Most cormorants can fly, as they still do that to evade predators and migrate to breeding areas. However, the only cormorant that cannot fly is the Galapagos cormorant, a unique species of cormorant that evolved flightlessness because of the lack of natural predators on the island chain. This in tandem with the two European species cramorant is based on, is likely why it is part flying type too, even though any “shocking situations” will likely be extra fatal to the poor birdy-doofus. Arrokuda and its more mature evolution may also pull some inspirations from needlefish. A small type of primarily piscivorous fish that has a distinct long and narrow jaw with small needle-like teeth. Needle fish can swim very fast, over 30 mph in the water, and can jump out of the water and have been known to impale and puncture people that are too close when they leap. Almost as though as they were hit with an arrowhead spear. For many communities close to waterways they live around, needlefish pose more of a threat than sharks.This means people of the Pokémon world should take the seemingly goofy water-types seriously, otherwise the fish might decide to have you on a one way ticket to being Dusknoir’s next appointment.

[@tetravega567]

I always wanted a swordfish/sailfish/marlin that evolved into a sailing galleon.

[@toondrake5964]

@@tetravega567 Maybe in Scarlet and Violet, we’ll see what Khu and the directs has for us next

[@FishBola1991]

A Pike is also a kind of spear. One of Barraskweda’s motif’s.

[@frogboyclips]

If we ever get a canada /great lakes (I know unova has some) region we should get a fish based on the northern pike and muskellunge and sturgeon

[@coysauce337]

I’m so down for a massive armoured sturgeon Pokémon

[@HelheimMudkip]

I'm designing a Michigan pokemon region and tabletop game, I'll have to look into it

[@bannles]

Kudos to whoever made that thumbnail. That looks insanely chaotic, but very good.

[@lolialf]

Cramorant is one of my fav Galarmons, really fell in love with it

[@tylercrockett7273]

Cramorant is actually my favorite gen 8 pokemon, even breaking into my top 20.

[@StaticR]

same launching fish into the opponents face is just too fun haha bit of a shame that the ability has so specific conditions to activate, being tied to only 2 specific moves.

[@BlastHeart96]

Fun fact. To give even more credence to the Pike correlation, a "Pike" in Old English terms is also the name of a heavy metal spear weapon.

[@anthonyoliver418]

The pikachu is most likely a reference to surfing pikachu, a sort of forgotten mechanic of pikachu, but since he uses surf to get his catch, and pikachu just so happens to be in the water it’s fishing in while surfing, it tries to swallow pikachu like a pelican trying to swallow what it finds without a thought, no matter the cost, which yeah pelicans will try to swallow everything they see, including but not limited to attempting to swallow when near capybaras, other birds, fish, cats(who might just be one of the few things that will do more harm to itself than the cat), rodents, and humans even though they can’t and will just get people to hate them more once you understand their nature.

[@brady1689]

Only Pokémon that deserves the title of throat goat as far as I’m concerned

[@ParasaurolophusZ]

I remember going snorkeling down in south Florida years ago. We were warned to take off all jewelry because of barracudas. They hunt by looking for a shiny fish in the distance, then go top speed toward it, unable to really see while they're moving (hence the Propeller Tail ability not being redirectable). They've been known to take someone's finger off when they were wearing a ring.

[@krystaLuvin]

That's actually cool that the cormorant refuse to work for fishermen unless they get to eat every 7th fish they catch. Sounds fair tbh. Good birdie! XD

[@_Funny_Meme_Man_]

1:37 When I heard "The Shag" I immediately thought if Shaggy had a team he'd totally have a cramorant.

[@nonmagicalwitch]

I think arrowkudas backwards pointing arrows make, evolutionary speaking, perfect sense. That way any predators that intend to throw them don't know how to do it, a very clever way of disguising yourself. It's like red frogs or other animals that arent actually poisonous, but try to trick predators by mimicking poisonous animals

[@swampycompy6370]

For the dot on its tail, its actually just a hole in between the plumage, like a little kid drawing a cloud with the circular curls.

[@swampycompy6370]

It is just seen as a white dot in the official art, but if you go to pokemon camp, you can see its just a hole

[@thewoofalo631]

Btw the wings very much look like the Galapagos cormorant which has very Stuby wings almost always in the same pose as cramorants wings. The Galapagos cormorant can’t fly, that is very interesting as they are at a island meaning they must of flown their and then de evolved to never leave and don’t quote me on this as but I believe they can also breed with other cramorants that can fly I don’t know how much of this info is accurate but thank for reading a cramoRANT on my favorite bird and Pokémon cuz their relatable in how dumb they are

[@wolfiemuse]

De-evolution isn’t really a thing - they may have EVOLVED to a point of flightlessness due to a lazy lifestyle or otherwise using their flight extremely rarely. Or maybe the birds were brought there as stowaways by sailors/explorers and they couldn’t fly in the first place

[@thewoofalo631]

@@wolfiemuse yeah I know but it’s technically just evolution but it still is curious and I just didn’t feel like typing that they “evolved like they lived,in the most stupid way” possible but thanks for correcting me lol also their pry a reason for the wingles lil birds but as far as I know the specifics arnt know

[@wolfiemuse]

@@thewoofalo631 I wasn’t correcting you about the bird, just the fact that devolution isn’t really a thing lol. Sorry if you took my comment to be more aggressive than i meant it

[@lianaverwood9810]

@@thewoofalo631 It's more that living on an Island without major Predators caused it to develop in a way that Degenerated its Wings, making it no longer able to fly. This would translate to a Regional Variant of Cramorant in the Pokémon World, rather than an Evolution...

[@ChickenCoop82]

13:33 You missed the PERFECT oppurtunity for a “Holy Mackerel” pun

[@jakoblent4694]

I was also disappointed when that didnt happen

[@Baltaczar]

I love that Barraskewda is more of a torpedo than freaking Sharpedo

[@AMHerbert13]

I love that dumb bird. Thank you for this video. I have a feeling the Pikachu could be a funny reference to surfing Pikachu. Cramorant happened to see Pikachu surfing and thought why not Also I see other people saying this but the white spot you mentioned around 4:25 is just a hole. The plush includes the hole and some of that art you showed does have a subtle indication of a hole.

[@Electrovicane]

Netflix: “Are you still watching?” Someone’s daughter: *the cold open*

[@Wandergirl108]

Not gonna lie, I totally forgot these Pokémon existed before watching this video. XD It's cool that such forgettable Pokémon have so much design detail that can be used for educational purposes like this. Well wrought, Lockstin!

[@Jamie_Ashe]

“We’ll get to that choking part in a minute” bro STOP 💀

[@theojames2581]

Lol

[@goldflame57]

Barracuda can be caught here in Tasmania as well but mostly in summer of course and sometimes even pike in our saltwater rivers and bays

[@practicalpupa8192]

I'm sure everyone is already thinking it, but the pike was named after the spear-like weapon, the pike. The two fish look similar enough too. No doubt it was inspired by both.

[@onyxthaphonix5784]

"Why is my turkey stuffed with pikachu?" "Its not a turkey."

[@Jormyyy]

I too am a big fan of Cramorant. I'm usually not one for the goofy mons but... omg, just look at em!

[@LucyRoseLuna]

love this flick of your hair at 2:15 nice little detail

[@verylostdoommarauder]

I think it's important to add onto the "Fish slapping comedy" part that there is the Fish Slap Dance, a skit from Monty Python's Flying Circus, one of the most famous British comedies.

[@Zyquux]

I really love these types of videos. A deep dive (no pun intended) into the designs of each Pokemon really shows how much research is done both during development and now when looking back.

[@Neohnian]

The opening earned my like- I love you and your antics so much

[@limeyell0w945]

Cramorant is me every time lockstin uploads. I eat these videos up :D

[@zak5697]

Netflix: Are you still watching? Me: 0:01

[@HelheimMudkip]

Me and someone's son 😂

[@hmmmmmmmmmm..]

A 20 minute analysis on cramorant? I’m impressed

[@thewoofalo631]

I had a essay one what is a loose connection to Galapagos cormorants in this comment section somewhere so this could have been a lot worse

[@limeyell0w945]

To be fair, it's half cramorant and half arrokuda

[@l0stmarble454]

Netflix: are you still watching? Someone’s cormorant:

[@teapottanuki5841]

I have two Shiny Cramorant. One of them is Kazooie and the other is Tooie.

[@cesarp.3035]

When i saw cramorant i instantly fell in love with it

[@reddog1281]

Barraskewda a carried my SW/SH nuzlocke, it got 3 crit drill runs in a row during Marnie’s final battle and I have loved it ever since!

[@blazeario]

I think that white dot is just a separation of the tail feathers. It looks like a dot because pokemon uses a white outline so perhaps that's just the outline filling the otherwise empty space.

[@Graphomite]

The contradiction info and hair floppingly epiphanous _"OH FU--!!!"_ gag there at the end got me good.

[@xaldynnemo47]

Something I'm surprised you didn't mention about Barraskweda/Arrowkuda and their inspiration from pikes: a pike is also a type of spear.

[@silentfox-thewhitechaos8279]

Arrowkuda and Barraskewda might have Barracuda as their name source, and part of the design, but their design (especially Barraskewda's head) is based on the Pike, which IS a Brittish fish

[@markwilburn1218]

I remember an episode of Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat that had a pair of cormorants who worked for a fisherman and when Cramorant came out I immediately thought of them lol

[@Veritos777]

Darts is also a very popular sport in the UK, like most pubs I've ever been in have a dartboard in there. So maybe Cramorant needs a pint chugging variant too

[@torchicachu2501]

I'm so happy to see a deep dive into my favorite Pokemon :))

[@Probably_Phox]

I love cramorant so much. I did a run of sword where I only used cram

[@zerokura]

I remember finding the video of a seagull swallowing a whole rabbit it killed so ya I can see a bird swallowing something bigger than its body.

[@eliottserouart6149]

Your intros and outros are the best

[@takenname8053]

NICE, really loved the end credits

[@PonyJammin]

The first time I saw a cormorant in person, I loved them. They looked so wonderful, and they were EVERYWHERE, all with their wings spread on the posts and buoys around or swimming and diving in the waves. I know a lot of people on the coasts don't like them, but I'd never been to the ocean before- they were just something I'd read about in class. I'll always have a soft spot for those little weirdos, I think, so thanks for giving them some spotlight.

[@Purriah]

I love how you did you hair just like the Pokémon you’re covering in the video

[@carnelianfox5010]

The start of the video is the equivalent of going from 0 to 100 without being at 0 in the first place. I’m here for it!

[@dannycat3970]

These videos are shockingly high quality

[@verdantstar2790]

This video was fire, well done lockstin

[@CrazyWeridoRH]

I was not expecting to wake up today, go to work, come hone exhausted, and then see Lockstin deep throat a fish without any sort if warning.

[@MugenAeternum]

2:26 funny how he’s talking about the crest with his haircut lol

[@ThatJaymsWisdom]

I love these three pokemon and now I know even more about them. So yay!

[@saiyanbox2046]

I always enjoy watching these amazing videos

[@taterwithglasses]

Fun fact, the hand signal for a barracuda in scuba is the same for moray eels but upside down. You make a lazy shadow puppet dog with no ears, finger together but your thumb is the other part of the mouth. It reflects how the moray has an over bite while the barracuda has an underbite.

[@markpieexplores]

The amount of research you do is legendary

[@thedragonwarrior5861]

Anyone else ever hear of the Salmon Cannon? It was created to move salmon over a dam by launching it through a tube. They're unharmed when they touch down, but it is interesting to watch. So much so that a news channel built one that launches fake salmon to other sections

[@MrKlausbaudelaire]

5:00 and the birb just took a dump in the middle of the video xD

[@mikemiller8430]

Love your channel! but little disappointed in this video that with our barracudas and their shiny forms we didn't get a small reference to Legends of the hidden Temple and one of their team names being the blue barracudas!

[@sasha-cw6sc]

Another educational banger Lockstin

[@JettDamyn]

I'm pretty sure the white dot on the tail is really a gap between the tail feathers.

[@dickneywithplants7377]

I've never been this turned on by the beginning of a Pokemon video on KZbin... thank you

[@thesuminer]

When you said "incredible hunger, which is basically lust for food" I believe the word you were looking for was Gluttony or Gluttonous in this particular case.

[@ZancralthePariah]

On a related note of birds eating things that are way too big, did you know that seagulls can swallow a rabbit whole? There’s videos of it and it is terrifying

[@dylanhetrick9619]

Yeah when you were doing the whole googly eye bit. You look like the villain from who framed Roger rabbit. Yeah that's kind of terrifying.

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

This was so awesome

[@damara1546]

I like that when the fish evolves the arrows in their body point to a different direction bc barraskewda isn't camorrant arrow anymore, now they are a self propelling spear c: talk about inspirational

[@Quortezz3]

Cramorant instantly became my favorite Pokémon when it was revealed. It's pretty, has a silly ability, and I love dumb birds. Hei Hei from Moana is my spirit animal. Love how interesting and how much was put into their and the Barraskewda lines designs.

[@skeepodoop5197]

In a region that I really want to make into a game (but probably won't), based on Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, and misc northern places, the regional fish are based on Pikes, being Ispike, and Europike, which are implied to be evolutionarily linked to Arrowcuda and Barraskewda. Hence 'Euro' (or Europe) in Europike, but also from Europa, a moon with an icy surface that very likely has ice spikes (Reverse icicles). Both are based on Ice spikes (Found on climbing boots), Ice spikes (the formations), Pikes (The weapon) and Pikes (the fish).

[@victorlinares4137]

I LOVE baraskewda wicked design and the first swift swimmer pokemon so damn fast it can outspeed even regieliki under rain, and still outspeeds mewtwo outside of rain

[@hondaaccord1399]

The white dot on Cramorant may be a lure to attract Wishiwashi, since it resembles School Wishiwashi heads

[@daisypage9394]

17:59 I used to catch pike all the time with my grandfather up here in Maine lol

[@LeafyPoipole]

0:01 what the Lockstin doin

[@jiggyno1999]

One thing to be noted about cormorants and the connection to the UK is that Liverpool’s mascot the liver bird is a mythical bird based of the cormorant. Which gives cramorant a stronger significance to being included in a UK region then if it was included in a region based on any other part of the world cormorants live

[@ninewizard7452]

Happy to get a video about my favourite Pokemon

[@BlazeStorm]

I've always loved Barraskewda's torpedo design!

[@GhostieToasterStrudel]

I’d love to see you cover more regional forms please! 💕 Still loved the video btw that intro was the best one yet 😂

[@noamkakashy5592]

I only saw the first frame but you already have my 👍🏼

[@jeanluca2002]

The ending killed me!XD For real, the National Dex being MIA is a such a pain.

[@flareinc7413]

That defensive tech w the fish is truly fowl play.