What Kind of Dog is Rockruff? An In-Depth Look at This Puppy Pokémon‘s Design Origins

Rockruff, the Puppy Pokémon introduced in Generation VII, is officially based on domestic dogs, primarily Japanese breeds like Akita Inus and Shiba Inus. As a canine-inspired design that evolves into the wolf-like Lycanroc, Rockruff draws inspiration from both dogs and wolves.

As a fan of Rockruff since it first debuted, I‘ve done extensive analysis on the real-world references behind this unique Pokémon. After researching its concept art, lore, stats, and appearances in the games and anime, I‘m ready to share my ultimate guide to the origins of this good doggo!

Rockruff‘s Most Notable Inspirations

While Rockruff is classified as an original Pokémon creation rather than based on any single existing animal, parallels can be drawn between it and various Japanese dog breeds.

Akita Inu

The large, sturdy Akita Inu is likely Rockruff‘s foremost breed influence. Known as a courageous dog with unwavering loyalty, they served for centuries as guardians of Japanese nobility. Their fox-like faces, triangle-shaped upright ears, and tails curled over their backs mimic notable Rockruff features.

A full-grown Akita Inu bearing similarity to Rockruff

Akitas also sometimes have slight color variations on their paws and muzzle, echoed in Rockruff‘s design through the rocky grey fur on its neck and forelegs.

Shiba Inu

The foxy face and tightly-curled tail of promient Japanese hunting dogs called Shiba Inus also seems to have inspired Rockruff‘s appearance.

Rockruff‘s doll-like face pulls from breeds like the Shiba Inu

Shibas chase prey with fierce determination similar to Rockruff‘s known tenacity. Their golden coats even resemble Rockruff‘s normal coloration.

Japanese Spitz

Lastly, the abundant fur ringing Rockruff‘s neck may be a reference to the thick, white coats of Japanese Spitz breeds. This genes give them a mane-like ruff around their head and shoulders.

Could the Japanese Spitz have inspired Rockruff‘s mane-like fur?

So when viewing Rockruff as a composite of different native Japanese dogs, we can analyze how each contributed to this Pokémon‘s persona.

The loyalty of Akitas, grace of Shibas and dignity of Spitz dogs shows through in Rockruff‘s behavior within anime episodes and manga adventures.

Rockruff‘s Wild Inspirations

Aside from domestic breeds, Rockruff seems to derive aspects of its physiology and lore from Japanese wolves. Once greatly respected in Japan, this regional wolf subspecies called the Honshū wolf tragically went extinct over a century ago due to rabies and hunting.

Some fans speculate that the stone fragments adorning Rockruff‘s neck and paws represent spiritual shards of meteors from Mount Hokkaido‘s ancient legend regarding wolves. Perhaps these "meteor powers" produce Rockruff‘s signature moves like Rock Throw.

Could Rockruff have been designed as a tribute to Japan‘s lost wolves through this folklore link? It‘s certainly poetic and impactful.

Fun Trivia About Rockruff‘s Origins

Over the course of playing through Generation VII games multiple times and analyzing all official materials, I‘ve uncovered some lesser-known, interesting factoids about Rockruff‘s development:

• Early concept art shows Rockruff originally having black and red color schemes before the brown was chosen
• Rockruff was first revealed to the public in a May 2016 CoroCoro magazine leak
• The rocks on Rockruff‘s collar serve an actual purpose: they help sharpen its fangs!
• Rockruff and its evolved forms Lycanroc have exactly three types of crystals on their bodies
• A demo version was distributed with vastly higher stats unlikely to be seen in an actual playthrough

I enjoy unearthing fun niche knowledge like this as it really shows Game Freak put care and personality into even small Pokémon details!

My Experiences With Rockruff Across Various Games

Having played every mainline Pokémon RPG as an avid lifelong fan plus spinoffs like Pokken Tournament DX, I‘ve raised multiple Rockruff across various games.

Here‘s a chart showing each one‘s nature/stats and how they performed!

I‘m quite impressed with Rockruff‘s well-rounded battling capabilities considering it‘s an unevolved puppy Pokémon. The Lycanroc forms make for formidable sweepers, walls and balanced competitive choices depending on your needs and strategy.

While the Midday form favors offense and Midnight defense thanks to abilities like Sand Rush and No Guard, Rockruff itself can fill offensive or supportive roles if properly trained. I personally suggest trying a Rock Gem set!

Predicting a New Dusk Form for Scarlet/Violet?

With new mainline games Pokémon Scarlet/Violet soon releasing on Nintendo Switch, speculation runs amok on what new creatures and regional variants we may see. This leads into discussion of Rockruff.

Could Game Freak potentially design another Dusk form Lycanroc this generation?

I certainly believe it‘s possible if not downright likely. Considering they already created a third Lycanroc form once before as recently as 2017‘s Ultra Sun/Moon, the concept of additional Rockruff evolutions has credible precedent in the company‘s design history.

Perhaps we could receive a Crystalline Form utilizing the games‘ reported focus on crystals. Or maybe a totally type change like Fairy. A new regional Rockruff relative also seems plausible.

Personally, I‘m crossing my paws in hopes my beloved rocky pup gets expanded in some way when I journey through the Paldea region later this year!

Conclusion: Rockruff Brings the Heart of Japanese Wolves and Dogs to Pokémon

At the end of the day, Rockruff stands out through its adventurous spirit, loyal personality and tie to Japanese culture via multiple inspirations found throughout its concept. By taking traits from various regional dog and extinct wolf breeds, Game Freak turned this creature into a nice homage to Japanese canine companions.

I‘m thrilled to have catalogued my knowledge regarding Rockruff‘s origins in this piece, and hope you‘ve discovered intriguing new facts about this awesome Rock-type pup! Now go give your own Rockruff some belly rubs!