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If you’ve been playing Pokémon Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire, you’ll be familiar with cute little critter, Mudkip, one of the three starter Pokémon in the new game. Mudkip may start life as an adorable water-munchkin, but many Japanese fans felt that things take a turn for the worse when he evolves into Marshtomp.

Gone are the big doe-eyes and baby features, replaced by a glassy-eyed stare that Japanese Twitter users are calling “too scary for words”. Obviously, the only thing to do was to start Photoshopping Marshtomp’s head onto things. What else is the internet for?

It seems that for some Japanese fans, Mudkip’s transformation into Marshtomp was a bit like watching their favourite cute chubby kid turn into a horrible teenager:

▼ “Wanted water Pokémon so picked Mudkip, now he’s evolved into Marshtomp. Those eyes! He looks like a psychopath! He used to be so cute, too… Hurry up and evolve again, Marshtomp!”

Some pointed out that Marshtop’s one expression could mean anything:

1. “Marshtomp’s face” says this Twitter user, “looks like…

  • When you screw up the most important exam of your life.
  • When your dad throws out all your videogames and says it’s ‘for your own good’.
  • When you’re too sad to feel anything at all.”
https://twitter.com/Zenmai_AbsoL/status/537390019015491584

Others found his featureless face creepy:

2. “Marshtomp visits his hometown after years away, discovers it’s been razed to the ground.”

https://twitter.com/Raichi2121/status/537908540057206784

3. “The Marshtomps go on Splash Mountain.”

4. “His head is actually a curling stone you know.”

https://twitter.com/otonashi971/status/537955881002881024

5. “When someone makes Marshtomp join in with [Youkai Watch’s] youkai taiso even though he doesn’t know any of the moves.”

https://twitter.com/numa_kuro/status/537988865126969344

6. “…can’t hold it back any moooorrrrre.”

7. “When Marshtomp goes out on the town and things get unexpectedly crazy.”

8. “That time Marshtomp made a huge breakthrough in stem cell research.”

https://twitter.com/D4Lns/status/537980799891415041

You can find more comedic Marshtomp-bashing on numa_kuro‘s Twitter.

Source: Oreteki gêmu sokuhou
Featured image: Twitter/Raichi2121