By now we should all know about the plus-sized Pokémon, Snorlax. It’s that big creature that loves to eat and sleep than anything else. Now, what if we told you that Snorlax is based on a real human, would you believe us?
Well, it is true because Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori, made it clear to the Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri, that an employee who works at Game Freak for quite some time, is the person who Snorlax is based on.
The employee in question is a designer known as Kōji Nishino, and he has worked on almost every Pokémon game since 1996.
“[Nishino], with this [huge] appearance, was the model for the Snorlax Pokémon,” according to Sugimori. “Though, he’s abnormally fussy about cute things.”
We should point out that Snorlax in Japan is called Kabigon, and the reason for that is quite funny. You see, Nishino is called “kabi” in the office and that’s because he loves to eat food infested with mold. Kabi means mold in English, and as such, Kabigon was born.
Now, remember that Snorlax is a Pokémon with the ability to eat anything, even moldy food, without feeling any ill effects. That’s because this plus-sized creature has a strong stomach, and the same can be said about Nishino.
Guess what? He appeared in-game
In the games Pokémon Black and White and Pokémon Black and White 2, Nishino appeared as himself inside the Game Freak building that is located in Castelia City. He has a few Pokémon in his collection, and they include the likes of Azumarill, Wigglytuff, Clefable, and finally, Snorlax.
After learning this story, we urge all who play the games to leave a spot in their primary attack lineup for Snorlax.