8 Subtly Brilliant Pokémon Designs

Of the near one-thousand strong Pokémon, Spiritomb is arguably one of the ugliest to behold. A purple mass of nonsense with a cartoonish green face emanating from a rock, the phantasmal Pokémon looks more like something out of Ghostbusters than Nintendo's hit series of handheld battlers.

However, despite its unappealing appearance, Spiritomb has one of the most compelling design backstories of any in the series' tenured history.

The secret is in the number 108. Spiritomb weights precisely 108 kilograms, has Defence and Special Defence statistics of 108, occupies the 108th position in Sinnoh's regional Pokédex, and is said to be formed by 108 spirits. So what is so special about the number 108?

The reasons are manifold. Spiritomb's arcane and amorphous form is designed to represent the jibakurei, a spirit bound to a single location - hence it can only be captured once the player is in possession of an Old Keystone. The concept is explored in the Chinese literary classic Water Margin, in which 108 demons are sealed in a stone monument and later atone for their sins to become the 108 Stars of Destiny - a story which also forms the basis of the classic Konami RPG Suikoden.

It doesn't stop there. 108 is also believed to be the number of temptations a person must overcome in order to achieve Nirvana in Buddhism, as well as traditionally being the number of times a bell is tolled on New Year's Eve to ward off such enticements.

So next time you're looking at Spiritomb and wondering when Pokémon designs began to go downhill, think again. All that's needed is some implied knowledge of Eastern classics to bring out the best in them!