Talk:Mimikyu (Pokémon)

I dunno but

Could it somehow come from "Mimic you"? I may be pronouncing it wrong, but I say it "Mimikk-yu" which sounds remarkably similar. Nutter Butter (talk) 16:39, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

So do I and I'm sure the name will be kept that way as it just feels right.

"It seems that this Pokémon disguises as a Pikachu because it wants to become friends with humans."

I hope it IS friendly...

Jaylaw (talk) 21:37, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

"Mimic you" seems very likely. JordanTH (talk) 08:30, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

Original pokemon

I could be based on or at least draw inspiration from a Bedsheet Ghost Random Chaos (talk) 11:58, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

I agree that it's likely based on the stereotypical "lazy" ghost costume.

Could some admin-type add this and the Mimic You reference to the page please? Nutter Butter (talk) 18:58, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

I'd be hesitant to trust the "mimic you" theory until someone who actually speaks Japanese chimes in. It seems unlikely to me as an English speaker — not impossible, but unlikely — that the Japanese developers would base a Japanese name on a phonetic respelling of a frankly random English phrase that is neither iconic nor has any special meaning more specific than just the word "mimic" with a random pronoun attached. It seems incredibly more likely to me that kyu would represent a Japanese onomatopoeia for squeaking. Pumpkinking0192 (talk) 19:11, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

The "mimic you" theory seems more solid now as it's English name is also Mimikyu. Jigglypoof21 (talk) 14:19, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Except that it's still spelled kyu, not you. They just reused the Japanese name, like Pikachu, Pachirisu, Dedenne, etc. Again, please let someone who actually speaks Japanese come and give their opinion before you bandwagon on something you know nothing about. Pumpkinking0192 (talk) 17:08, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

The Japanese language incorporates other languages' words into its own all the time, especially for things they do not have words for or that don't come from Japan. It's very possible that they meant for the name to come from the words "mimic you". Litwick96 17:15, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

I thought the end of its name was chu, like in Pikachu. Still, it does rhyme, but I don't know if that was intentional. Unowninator (talk) 17:18, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Litwick96, I know that. It's possible, but like I said, it's extremely unlikely. Why would anyone decide the best name for a Pokemon is a verb with a random pronoun attached? What is the significance of "mimic you" versus any other word they could have tacked on after "mimic"? What does the "you" have anything to do with this Pokemon? Pokemon names are not simply random, they are puns or truncated descriptive phrases that are designed specifically to describe the Pokemon. I'm just saying, the "mimic you" theory is not logical whatsoever if you pay attention to how Pokemon names are created. Pumpkinking0192 (talk) 17:21, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

It "mimics you", with "you" being Pikachu, describing what it is and does. ミミッキュ is exactly how they would phonetically translate "mimic you" into Japanese, and would be pronounced virtually exactly as the English words "mimic you". Given that this Pokémon disguises itself as Pikachu, a name that both says exactly what it does and has a similar sound to Pikachu makes perfect sense. Litwick96 17:36, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

I think 旧 kyū as in "something old" is another likely possibility, since it's said to have made its costume from 20-year-old merchandise. Coolest (talk) 22:45, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

That black hand-thing

Mimikyu has a black hand-thing. I have mentioned it. - unsigned comment from Jaylaw (talk • contribs)

Will one of you please include a mention of the black feeler with three fingers that is a part of Mimikyu. Jaylaw (talk) 20:47, 19 July 2016 (UTC)

Mimic + Q

I'd like to float this as a solution, kind of just see how other people like this for the name origin...

Personally, I'm really not satisfied by the explanation of "mimic you" for ミミッキュ. (It's not mimicing "you".) But the French and German names kind of suggest a question, a mystery (about what Mimikyu is)... Mimic + "q".

If we're (I'm) really lucky, maybe they'll romanize the Japanese name as Mimiq or Mimiqyu or something. (I'm not entirely holding my breath, though, since the English name went "Mimikyu"...) Anyway, who likes it? Tiddlywinks (talk) 00:54, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Sorry but it does seem to come from "Mimic you" which is likely referring to how it disguises itself as a Pikachu for attention.Flain (talk) 02:42, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

In your theory, what is the relevance of the letter Q? I'm not aware of anything significant about it. Litwick96 02:51, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Pikachu is not "you". It's a terrible rationalization of ミミッキュ.

The relevance is like I said... A question. A question mark. Mystery. (...Given how Mimikyu hides itself.) Tiddlywinks (talk) 03:10, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Do you mean that "Q" is just short for "question"? If that is what you mean, I guess it's possibly the origin, although to me that sounds a little out there. The main reason I personally consider "mimic you" to be a likely source is that it is literally right there in the phonetics of the name. As for the Pikachu comment, do we really know for sure that Pikachu is the only thing it can mimic, or can it mimic other things as well? If it can mimic other things, than it could in fact "mimic you". Litwick96 03:36, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Right now...yeah, that's kinda all we know as far as mimicry: it mimicked Pikachu. It's not necessarily a general talent, just a single point of its backstory. If you want to hang your hat on new info like that, all you can do is wait. I don't really forsee any surprises like that, though, personally. Phonetics are all well and good...but they have to make some sense. (Eleboo phonetically contains "boo", but "boo!" hardly makes sense. Numeil can sound like "new mail", but that's basically nonsense.) Tiddlywinks (talk) 03:59, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Q is definitely possible, at the very least it seems much more likely than "mimic you". I think it's either Q, the onomatopoeia for squeaking, or kyu as in 'old'. Until we find out for sure (if we ever do), unless anyone has a huge problem with any one of those, I'd say we might as well list all three as "possible" name origins if nothing else. Coolest (talk) 09:53, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Maybe the Kyu comes from Amamikyu the sun goddess, which would be very ironic given that it hides from the sun. I'm just throwing this out there since the games are sun and moon.Yamitora1 (talk) 07:46, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Kodama origin

Could it be based off a Kodama which is a tree spirit? It does use a stick for its tail. Also, it may draw inspiration from Tsukumogami. Yamitora1 (talk) 10:06, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

Both seem unlikely, to be honest. It's not mentioned to have anything to do with trees other than using a stick for its tail, which really isn't enough to assume a connection to kodama. And a tsukumogami is an old object which itself became alive, whereas the old merchandise in question here was simply used as basis for a costume for an already-living creature. Coolest (talk) 10:21, 20 July 2016 (UTC)