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021/022: Spearow & Fearow
69 Plays1 year ago
Meet Spearow and Fearow, two of the most boring pokemon that have probably ever existed, but at least its cute that Ekans eats their eggs... I guess?
Join Katherine and Claudia as they stumble through the Pokédex and figure out which of these Pokemon might be semi-edible in a podcast full of stupidity and laughs.
New episodes every Saturday Morning!
Unown Radio is brought to you by Mugstain Productions.
-Find us on IG @unownradio
-Links: https://linktr.ee/unownradio
- Pokemon are licensed to Nintendo
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
This is a Muck Stain Productions Podcast.
Introduction to Hosts and Spearow
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello homies and trainers and welcome to Unknown Radio, your mugs named production Pokemon talk show where we take a peek at every Pokemon. I'm Claudia and I'm here with my co-host and quite often unhinged partnering crime Catherine. Hello, I bring the pizzazz. Claudia brings us the facts and together we're Unknown Radio.
00:00:44
Speaker
Oh, I do love that starter. It gives it a certain, I was going to say je ne sais quoi. We should probably ban that word. Absolutely not. I love it. It makes us sound cultured. Oh, we are cultured. We're discussing Pokemon. What is more cultural than Pokemon? Absolutely nothing. We're learning about Japanese culture.
00:01:05
Speaker
Love this for us.
Spearow's Characteristics and Evolution
00:01:07
Speaker
So this week we're going to be doing number 21 and number 22 in the Pokedex. We're going to start with number 21 and this is Spearow. It's a bird. Do you know what his tagline is? You're very close already. Bird Pokemon. Much like Pidgey, this is the tiny bird Pokemon.
00:01:29
Speaker
You're tiny, but no, don't take that away from our love Pidgey. They're cousins. Okay, that's kind of cute. So what does Spiro look like? Um, Spiro is a bird and it's got red wings. That's exactly what he's like. That's all I got.
00:01:54
Speaker
Here's a tiny bird with red wings. If you don't know Pokemon and you're just picturing a tiny bird with red wings in your head, correct. It's got like a, it's got like a hooked beak, like it should attack something, but it probably won't because it's Spiro. Yeah. The, this is not, we'll, we'll go into it, but it is not an offensive Pokemon. Offense as in fighting, not offensive. This thing cannot be offensive. There's nothing to him.
00:02:23
Speaker
He's like that person in your friendship group that you don't notice is missing. Yes, he is the basic bitch of the bird Pokemon. So the normal version is just brown with red wings but the shiny version has got a little something-something going on because he's like a pale yellow with bright almost fluorescent yellow wings. And a green head. Yeah. That's gross. Why are we making birds green?
00:02:52
Speaker
You see this one in a dark room though, wouldn't you? Yeah, but would you want to? No. So he is a normal flying type. He is a foot tall and he weighs 4.4 pounds or 2 kgs. Quite small. Very small. Small, tiny, tiny bird Pokémon. I'd say it's a tiny bird Pokémon.
00:03:14
Speaker
Tiny bird Pokémon. So Spiro seems to be based on a sparrow with the characteristics of a shrike because of that hooded beak that you mentioned. It's interesting because a shrike is a territorial bird and they're often called the butcher birds due to their brutal feeding habits. And they're also cute. They are also cute. But that may be the basis for Spiro's aggressive nature.
Spearow's Abilities and Behavior
00:03:42
Speaker
Okay. And the name is a combination between Spear and Sparrow, and they live one to four years. Nice. Like, I've got nothing to say to that. Like, it's just a fact. It's just a basic. Nothing to them yet. It's just a Pokemon.
00:04:01
Speaker
So it's, we're going to its characteristics, which is a little, there isn't really much on this Pokemon. It's really not a fan favorite. If you're going to like a bird Pokemon from generation one, let's be real, it's Pidgey. And if it's not Pidgey, then you're wrong. Yeah. Unless, you know, you have a very strong liking to the legendary bird Pokemon or even Doduo and Dodrio, all of which are better than this one. I often forget this one exists.
00:04:30
Speaker
I don't because I always catch one just for my Pokedex and then I once really went for it and evolved it into a Fero and then I really regretted doing it because it was still shit. Yeah, it's just not as good as Pidgeot. This one's not as good as Pidgey. Fero's not as good as Pidgeot. This one doesn't even have a middle evolution. No, it doesn't need one because nobody uses it.
00:04:56
Speaker
So although inept at other aspects of its flying, such as height and distance, Spiro is still capable of flying quickly to protect its territory. However, it must flap its wings at high speeds to stay aloft. Not nice. Kind of hummingbird-esque. Yeah, but hummingbirds at least are cute. Yeah, this is not cute. So the Spiro are noted for being frail, which they make up for their mirror move ability.
00:05:26
Speaker
And in the anime, Spiro is revealed to see in black and white. Oh, okay. So at least the anime gave it something. They didn't overlook this. They thought, oh, we'll make it color blind. And then people will feel sorry for it and like it more, but we don't. No, they won't. No, no, you failed there. So the Spiro prey on insects and sometimes suncurn, which is that like weird sunflower seed Pokemon. Oh, I like that one.
00:05:56
Speaker
But yeah, it's a cute one. In grassy areas, by fleshing them out with their stubby wings and plucking at them with their beaks. Basic bird behaviour. Yep. Nothing out of the ordinary.
00:06:09
Speaker
Spiro, a fairy territorial, constantly buzzing about and calling with a loud cry. They can be heard from half a mile away. The cry serves to scare ray predators and to keep in touch with other Spiro, though the latter is reserved as an alarm to its kind. Normal bird behavior. Nothing out of the ordinary for our little fella yet.
00:06:34
Speaker
Nope. And like I said, everything's just, it's just boring. Like it's just, it's just there and it just turns up. He's just there. Does its job and goes on. So they're found naturally in open habitats with warmer climates, mainly desolate wastelands and fields. And Ekans is the natural predator of Spiro eggs in particular. That's cute.
00:06:56
Speaker
Is it cute that the Ekans eat their babies? Some of it, isn't it? It's just like, something to think about. And I just heard egg. It sounds like a normal response. You're like, I like egg. I do love eggs.
00:07:24
Speaker
Ekans eats his eggs. That's cute. Oh no. And it may surprise you, but that's all I got.
00:07:36
Speaker
That does not surprise me, honestly.
Transition to Fearow
00:07:38
Speaker
That is it. So we're just gonna go ahead and involve it because who wants a Spearow? I don't. I felt nothing researching this Pokémon. I felt nothing telling you the facts of this Pokémon. It is a bird. You could swap this out with a Sparrow and it will be the same goddamn thing apart from this is a foot tall. I literally zoned out.
00:08:07
Speaker
Oh right, Fearow, let's go. Let's go, let's evolve him. Finally, we got him levelled up by listening to my drawl and this is Fearow. Do you know what Fearow's tagline is?
Fearow's Description and Reputation
00:08:22
Speaker
I'm the long-necked bird. You're not far off. This is the beak Pokémon.
00:08:29
Speaker
Oh, for fuck's sake. Because, you know, like every other bird in the National Pokedex, he has a beak. And that's all I got on Fearow. So to the question section. And that's it. Let's move on to the question section. So what does Fearow look like? A really long neck and really long beak and big old wings. And I always thought he reminds me of a vulture.
00:08:58
Speaker
Yes, people have described him as having a vulture-y neck, which is like a whole classification of birds. And you know what? Any vulture that exists is a hell of a lot more interesting than a sparrow. 10 out of 10.
00:09:15
Speaker
The normal version is still the basic brown, but the shiny version is green and it looks more like a vulture to me for some reason. They need to learn that turning a bird green or turning anything green is not going to make it more exciting. They do it a lot. They do. They seem to love turning things green.
00:09:38
Speaker
So Fearow, much like the most much beloved Spearow, is a normal flying type. He is now three foot 11 inches and weighs 83.8 pounds, which is 38 kgs.
00:09:53
Speaker
So he's quite a big boy, considering he's a vulture. Smaller than I thought, though. I kind of wonder what the wingspan is, because his wings always look bigger than the rest of him. Maybe that's the 3'11", his wingspan. It doesn't necessarily say...
00:10:09
Speaker
what the sizing entails. So I can assume that might be wingspan. Well, it says length 311, doesn't it? Yeah. Oh, so maybe it's tip of the beat, tip of the tail. Yeah. So I mean, is it tail to tip to tail? I can't stop them. Spearow was so excited. It gave me hiccups.
00:10:35
Speaker
It was more the fact that it's eggs apparently, that's what got me. You love that, that tickled you. So cute. So the pharaoh appears to be based on several different bird species. Its predatory nature may come from hawks and eagles, though its appearance may be based on vultures.
00:10:54
Speaker
It also dons a red crest, which is reminiscent of those seen on roosters and its name is a combination of fear and sparrow or arrow. Well, I'm definitely fearful of this exciting bird. So exciting. So exciting that it lives four to seven years, which is relatively the same as a Pidgeot. But Pidgeots are significantly better.
00:11:22
Speaker
Yes, there is no question. We don't even have to answer that part at the end because Pidgeot's better. So to its characteristics, the pharaoh uses its great wings to catch air currents and effortlessly glide over large distances for as long as a day without having to land or rest. That's quite a long time to be fair. That's impressive. It's very vulture because they would fly over the savannah for a long period of time, kind of
00:11:51
Speaker
scouting around to see if there's anything dead they can chomp on. Yeah. See, I don't know much about vultures. That's basically the only fact you need to know. They got long necks and they fly around all day looking for something dead. Nice. They sound delightful.
00:12:08
Speaker
very delightful. So it flies high into the sky and swoops down at its prey by using a combination of its neck and beak. It has a long reach, allowing it to pluck bugs from the ground or easily plucks
00:12:24
Speaker
Why is this? I keep on saying easily fuck prey. Easily plucks prey. He easily plucks prey from soil or water as it swoops down. And if it senses any danger, it avoids it if possible. What kind of things are eating then?
00:12:42
Speaker
Bugs? It says pluck bugs. I almost said fuck bugs. I hope not. Yeah, so maybe like Weedle, Caterpie, Cocoonas, maybe Sunkuns, maybe that sunflower looking guy. Yeah, fur, fur, fur.
00:13:01
Speaker
Maybe anything. They live in a more desolate area than the Pidgeys do, so when it's flying over the plains and the savannahs and that wasteland, probably whatever it can. Again, like a vulture. Exactly like a vulture.
00:13:18
Speaker
So like Spiro, Spiro are fairy territorial. Luckily for travellers though, they prefer to keep to themselves only attacking those who draw too near to their nests or young. Fairy Pidgeot? Yeah, so they're very protective, but I think I'm both birds. Most birds. Oh for God's sake. Most birds? Ah. Fuck bugs. She's not going well. Might be our worst one yet.
00:13:45
Speaker
So he protects his young and that's really it. They're not really territorial over like a vast amount of space like a Pidgeot was. Which to me makes it a little more boring. So they use their narrow beaks to dig through soil or to reach below the water to cat's prey. And because they are known to attack Pokémon often viewed as quote-unquote cute and quote-unquote popular,
00:14:11
Speaker
such as Pichu, Fero are often belined in popular culture as wicked, heartless fighters.
00:14:23
Speaker
Yeah, maybe that's just what lives around where it is. It is a mouse Pokemon, bird mouse. Yeah, birds don't like mice. So it's interesting that how the Pidgeot, the Pidgeot's weird main Quiffmohawk thing was kind of the pop culture symbol for speed. This guy, because it likes to eat Pichu, is viewed as evil and wicked.
00:14:53
Speaker
Wow. I mean, maybe that's why we hate him. We don't even live in the Pokémon universe and we already came into this hate in this guy and we didn't even know that fact. Yeah, exactly. Maybe, you know, it just gives off that vibe though, do they? He's just got a face that's wholly unlovable. A face that only a mother could love, you know? And maybe not even a mother. Maybe not. Maybe that's why he's so angry. His mother just let an Ekans eat it.
00:15:21
Speaker
Oh, see, yeah, the Ekans is like, I know this is a spirit egg, so I'm going to eat it. So, because everybody hates Firo. Yeah. Bless it. Oh no, I know it's all feeling sorry for it. Yeah.
Fearow's Cultural Significance
00:15:33
Speaker
Literally, I've been ripping into it for the last 17 minutes. Like, oh, I feel bad for it now.
00:15:40
Speaker
Well, it's like vultures in general, people hate vultures because they think, you know, seeing a vulture, especially in like African cultures is like a symbol of death, a symbol of evil. If you see one, then something bad is going to happen. So maybe it's the same. You see a pharaoh and it's like an omen. Maybe. Yeah, I can get on board with maybe feeling a little bit sorry for it.
00:16:04
Speaker
should have made it a better color though than brown just saying but it then says anyone who has ever raised a pharaoh know that while wary and sometimes aggressive to strangers they can also be very loyal and protective pokemon archaeologists have found carvings of them protecting people in the joto region oh i like that that's quite cute
00:16:26
Speaker
And it does look very old, not like age old, but just the way that this Pokémon looks does look pretty prehistoric. Yeah, it does. It looks like it's been around for a while. There's no doubt in that, but it still doesn't mean that it's good. Alright, you want to move on to our questions section? Yeah, go for it. Yeah, alright. So if you were, where are we now? We still in Viridian Forest?
00:16:52
Speaker
Yeah, I guess so. Yeah. All right. We're wandering away from Viridian City. Onto our route. And you are just walking, minding your own beeswax. And a little spiro kind of falls on the path in front of you. What would you do?
00:17:11
Speaker
Again, I think it would be a case of I'd take it just because it'd be cool to have a Pokémon, but if I did have a Pidgey at home, then I probably wouldn't bother. Do you think they would be friends? Well, you said they're cousins. Yeah. Like, could you have play dates? Oh, maybe. Oh, can you imagine? Like a little Pokémon play dates?
00:17:33
Speaker
If I could keep Spiro as Spiro and make sure it never evolves, then I would probably take it home. But I just don't want a Firo. They're too vultury. I don't like them. Does it give you the ick? It does, honestly. So if a Firo then swooped down and landed in front of you? I'll take a fight though. Be like, wow, this is cool. And then shoo it away. Yeah, I could enjoy the moment.
00:18:03
Speaker
I wouldn't, you know, I wouldn't write. I'd probably tell you about it, but I don't think I'd put an Instagram post about it. This would be the one Pokemon you wouldn't Instagram. It wouldn't be the one Pokemon I wouldn't Instagram. I wouldn't Instagram under Rattata. Rattata. It's going to join the rankings of Rattata. Boring.
00:18:28
Speaker
Cat and Metapod and the other one. Cocoona. Cocoona, yeah. It's just the Pokémon you look at and you're like, I just.
00:18:41
Speaker
So, what function do you think a spirit would have other than battling? Nothing. Just a little bird. I suppose it could be an emotional pet or something. What function do birds have in general? You could keep it in an old people's home and it'll just make noise. A bit of enrichment, I guess. I feel like the old people would probably like it. I reckon they'd be good in an aviary.
00:19:05
Speaker
Yeah, it's kind of like a budgie, like it's there, it's a pet. Yeah. But what else? You can't like take it with you places. People aren't gonna be like, wow, your bird's so cool. Because it's not. You know what is really weird is actually saw a woman out in real life with a parrot on her shoulder. Oh, see, that's cool. That is cool. But a budgie, just a bit weird, isn't it?
00:19:30
Speaker
Yeah, or even worse, like a finch. You really know your birds, don't you? They just sell them at Petsmart. That's the only reason I know. So what function do you reckon a pharaoh would have?
Practical Roles of Spearow and Fearow
00:19:43
Speaker
Nothing. I suppose it'd be good on a farm for, like, pest control.
00:19:49
Speaker
Oh yeah, they could fly high and fly over the property. I guess if something dies there, I reckon this eats carcasses. It could probably go down and like clear up the carcasses like a vulture would. Yeah. So it doesn't rot. But like, I just don't think it's got much of a use. It's just a bird in it.
00:20:08
Speaker
Especially if people think they're wicked and heartless. I don't think they would choose this Pokémon to do something. I don't think they'd choose to be a friend. Yeah. Maybe back in the day they were used to protect people, but I feel like people have moved on a little bit now. It's all about Pidgeot, not about Fero now. You know, the times change. The times do change and Pidgeot is the best.
00:20:35
Speaker
You've heard it here first. So what does a Spiro eat? I don't know, like bugs and shit. Yes. Sankarn, bugs, everything that a Pidgey eats because it's a copycat. What about a Spiro? Literally anything. It's just like, I think like you said, like, because it lives in like more desolate areas and just gets what it can. Yeah. I'm still upset they eat Pika's, not Pika's, Pidgey's.
00:21:01
Speaker
Yeah, that must be why they eat pea chews because maybe they live in those desolate areas and there's food and he's got to eat so he's gonna go for it. Yeah, true. I mean birds gotta eat but pea chews aren't cute. Just don't eat the pea chews. Yeah, they're just babies, aren't they? So could we eat in a spiro? Yeah. Yeah, easy. There wouldn't be a lot of meat on it though. A spiro on the other hand, I reckon that would be a quite decent meal.
00:21:29
Speaker
It's got good legs on it, but it does still look skinny. So it would be like maybe eating like a bird of prey or something. Like it hasn't, it's not meaty. It tastes like quite a big breast, you know, like its chest is quite... No, I know what you mean. Do you reckon you could eat his little wiggly rooster crest? No. Can't eat a normal rooster's crest, can you?
00:21:55
Speaker
I don't know. I never really thought about it. Please do. I like how we pause. Please pause while we wait for the other one. Please wait. So apparently in France and Italy it's not uncommon to eat the rooster's comb and apparently it's very yummy. Please say the French don't eat though. Do you know what I mean?
00:22:16
Speaker
Yeah, you're not wrong. They just love food and I'm here for it because I mean who doesn't love food but... Alright, so especially in France, the cox combs were used not only as garnishes for dishes but also in them as part of a preparation where they would be minced and combined with a sauce which in turn could be used in a variety of ways. So yes, we can eat a pharaoh's comb. You mash it up, you turn it into a sauce and then put it over its own breasts.
00:22:43
Speaker
Alright, fine. I'll give it a go. I'll give anything a go. We could definitely cook this one on a spit roast too, can't we? Yeah, we can see if the ratacate approves. Do you think they would eat ratatas and ratacatas? I reckon, yeah. If they're out there in that, that would be the perfect prey for it. Yeah.
00:23:02
Speaker
But I could definitely see in like a five-star ratacate restaurant that they would have, that's like a special dish or sauce would be like a fear rose coxcom sauce.
Humorous Discussion on Pokémon Diet
00:23:16
Speaker
You reckon? Yeah. That strikes me as something weird that people would do. I find it interesting that they don't talk about eating Pokemon on Pokemon.
00:23:28
Speaker
Yeah, I think they only mention eating Slowpoke tail and Farfetch'd. Yeah, which is interesting, right? Yeah, because they obviously, they've got to eat something. They're eating meat in a lot of Pokemon episodes. Yeah, because like, on like the new games, they're like, oh, you could buy salmon. Like, does salmon just live there? Yeah, I'm not seeing that in any Pokedexes. Exactly. Like, I need to know, like, do you have Pokemon plus real animals?
00:23:58
Speaker
or like make it make sense. Well, maybe salmon is like how like beef comes from cows. Maybe salmon, the meat comes from a Magikarp. I reckon it'd be the other one. What's the long gray one? I can't remember. You know what I mean though. Yeah, I know which Pokemon you mean. Yeah. Anyway, completely off topic.
00:24:23
Speaker
Anyway, okay. You walk into a bar outside of Viridian Forest as you're going to this wasteland, and you're sat in there just minding your own business before your long journey, and a spiro flies in through the window, lands on the bar, and is just pissed off at you for no reason. What would you do? Yeah, I'm taking that fucker. I reckon I could squash it in my hand.
00:24:48
Speaker
Yeah, it's only a foot big and weighs 2kgs. Yeah, I could just jump on it. Nah, he's gonna. No chance, mate. Yeah, let's sit on him. Yeah, I'll take him in a heartbeat.
00:24:59
Speaker
So that might be an easy one. Very easy pickings, I'm with you there. But the door opens and then in waddles Afiro and he's angry. He's wiggling his cockscomb. That's a new word I've learned today. He's wiggling his cockscomb. He's stretching out his long vulturing neck and he's challenging you to a fight. Who would win?
00:25:25
Speaker
I'd give it my best shot, actually. I don't know if I could take it because I'm thinking those wings are probably going to be strong, but I'd definitely give it a go. He doesn't strike me if he is like a vulture. He doesn't strike me as being fast. No. But if he strikes me as being strong. I wonder what he could do with that neck. Yeah. I mean, he could see you wherever you are in the room. I reckon that'll turn like a full 360, like an owl. Yeah.
00:25:53
Speaker
like it or like you know oh yeah like you know you get those lights that you can move around or like a lamp no not a lamp like when it's on like a it's on like a moveable clicky clicky thing do you know what i mean yeah yeah yeah i know what you mean i don't think you do you just lied to me like a uh like they have theaters what theater do you go to they have the lights no it's on like a
00:26:22
Speaker
like a like a stick but it moves all the way around like a reading lamp oh okay like a desk lamp yeah okay yeah i reckon it'll do that but if you could somehow get behind its head and kind of put it in a headlock and hold that neck it'll be too far away for the wingspan you just have to watch out for the talons and i reckon you got him just choke him out yeah yeah first actually especially if you come from behind
00:26:51
Speaker
You know, like when you try and catch a swan. Yeah, you got to go for the neck. Yeah. Yeah, it's definitely. And then you can even like he's only three foot 11 and he doesn't weigh that much. You can even do the thing where you hold him by the neck like right behind the beak and then put him under your arm like a bagpipe and just carry him around. Oh, yeah. Oh, you could take him easy. I didn't realize he was only three foot 11.
00:27:14
Speaker
Yeah, 3'11", so that's not big. Definitely not as terrifying as the Pidgeot. He's just ugly. Yeah, he is. Which, you know, we shouldn't base our opinions on looks alone, but he's also boring, so...
00:27:29
Speaker
Yeah. And we're not alone in that. Other people in the Pokémon popular culture hate this guy too. Yeah. So you know what? Maybe they did a good job in designing this thing. Maybe he's meant to be hated and they, you know, succeeded. Maybe he just likes his life to be alone and can't blame him for that. He's a lone ranger. He is a lone ranger on a mission of his own. Exactly. I'm here for it.
Conclusion on Spearow and Fearow
00:27:58
Speaker
So with that, that is the end of our Spearow, Fearow, very exciting of Riveting 2-shirt. I'm surprised we've actually dragged it out for half an hour to be honest mate. That's the most surprising part about all of this. We have to get through these ones. Yeah we do to get to the good ones. Yeah we said we're going to take a peek at every Pokémon and gosh darn it we're doing it. We're taking a peek. So what do you think of these guys?
00:28:24
Speaker
I still have no care for them, really. They're just boring. They just feel like they're added on because they needed another bird. They did seem like, though, because they have no interesting connection to the Kanto region. They have no interesting connection to other Pokémon, really. And I feel like that Pichu thing was only added on in later run in the Pokémon universe because Pichus aren't released until the next generation.
00:28:52
Speaker
No, exactly. Just feel like it's just a bit. Yeah. Yeah. These are fillers. This is a filler episode with filler Pokémon. And I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not because you signed up for every Pokémon. Every Pokémon means every Pokémon. We're not skipping any. Not a single gosh, Dan, one of them.
00:29:13
Speaker
Right, now you're just blubbering on. Let's go. See you later. Alright, next week we're doing Ekans. That's better because it's cute that they eat Spiros. See you later. See ya.