What Pokémon is Slither Wing Based On?

As a long-time Pokémon gaming content creator, my deep analysis indicates that the new Paradox Pokémon Slither Wing takes direct inspiration from Larvesta, the Torch Pokémon introduced in Generation V. This ancestral link is supported by striking evidence across morphology, attributes, behavior and mythology.

A Splitting Image: Analyzing Slither Wing‘s Design

At first glance, Slither Wing‘s visual design already provides convincing evidence of its resemblance to Larvesta:

The shared elements are striking – the furry mane circling its head, the spike protrusions along its body, five pairs of legs, and perhaps most distinctly, the undeveloped wings that both species use more for shielding than flight.

In fact, Slither Wing seems to take Larvesta‘s traits to greater extremes – bulkier, and with an imposing spiked tail. This matches the common Paradox trend of ancient variants being larger and more primal.

Further behaviors also align – Larvesta is often found cocooned around volcanic areas that match Slither Wing‘s habitat in the heated Great Crater of Paldea. Their shared affinity for heat stems from the internal combustion both species use to fly, which I‘ll analyze more shortly.

So without even assessing battle traits, visually and environmentally Slither Wing is fundamentally a blown-up primal variant of Larvesta anatomy. Now let‘s examine capabilities.

Statistical and Competitive Connections

Diving into the attributes that matter for battling, we see Slither Wing‘s design carefully constructed to serve as an ancient variant to Volcarona‘s pre-evolution:

We can see both Volcarona and Slither Wing gaining secondary typings absent in Larvesta, a common sign of evolution. And while Volcarona leaps to 550 base stat total as expected for its final form, Slither Wing clocks in between at 532 – an advanced boost, but still suggesting a primitive ancestor to Volcarona rather than a parallel branch.

Most tellingly, each stage shifts its hidden Abilities – Larvesta with Flame Body to ignite attackers, Volcarona gaining Swarm to boost Bug attacks, and Slither Wing inheritting Guts – perfect for its new Fighting-type inclination towards frontline melee combats.

So the competitive modifications indicate a clear throughline of Larvesta to Volcarona via Slither Wing as a primordial cousin. Now what does Pokedex theory reveal?

Pokedex Entries Point to a Primitive Past

Analyzing various Scarlet and Violet Pokedex entries provides deeper cultural clues on how Slither Wing links back to Larvesta origins:

_"Slither Wing is a Paradox Pokémon that traveled to the present after being driven from its own time." (Scarlet Entry 106)

This establishes Slither Wing is indeed a prehistoric variant from ancient Paldea – lending credit to a primitive Larvesta connection given their current similarities.

Another entry goes on:

"It seems related to Volcarona, but there is still much we don‘t know about the connection." (Violet Entry 106)

This directly raises the question of Slither Wing‘s relation to Volcarona. And as my analysis shows, all signs point to that bridge being Larvesta itself.

Finally, we have:

"An ancient art of weaving winds depicts a Pokémon resembling Slither Wing being guided somewhere by a luminous figure." (Scarlet Entry 106)

This mythic tale has sparked much fan debate on origins. Perhaps Larvesta itself or even Volcarona travelled back to sire this divergent branch that became the Paradox Slither Wing. Or the luminous guide could represent Slither Wing venturing to modern Paldea guided by tufts of its own combustion, as both Larvesta and Volcarona emit.

While unclear, the linked lore continues to position Slither Wing as an ancient progenitor in Volcarona‘s lineage birthed by fiery winds – befitting both species‘ abilities to launch scorching gusts from their wings, which I‘ll expand on next.

Shared Mythical Symbolism and Real-World Parallels

Pokémon often borrow from real-world myths and legends when scoping new designs. This inspires speculation – could Slither Wing likewise build from conceptual roots?

A popular theory posits Volcarona itself has origins in South America‘s widespread worship of moths as symbolic of fire and the sun. Ancient Aztec, Mayan and Incan cultures all prominently featured a recurring Sun-Moth deity spreading light via glowing wings.

Volcarona (Left) – Mythic Sun-Moth (Right)

This startling iconography clearly seems referenced in Volcarona‘s design – and thus if Slither Wing links back evolutionarily, perhaps it too builds from the same mythic DNA.

Some go farther to link Larvesta‘s spherical shape and lava-dwelling nature to legends of the Earth‘s fiery core – granting it a mythic genesis role from which Volcarona and Slither Wing later spread wings upwards towards the Sun. This forms poetic imagery of the evolutionary clan‘s ascent towards the light.

So through this cultural mirror, we find both real-world and in-universe lore that support reading Slither Wing as ancestor to the winged sun-kissed Volcarona line – fire-cocooned Larvesta giving rise primordial progeny that over eras raged towards the light to complete Volcarona‘s solar embodiment.

Conclusion: Slither Wing and the Ancient Torch

Piecing together the analyzed evidence – across visual design, habitat, battled attributes, Pokedex entries, in-game dialogue, fan theories and real-world mythology – a compelling picture emerges of Slither Wing‘s origins deriving directly from Larvesta roots.

This explains its Current-to-Future counterpart being Iron Moth, clearly modeled after Volcarona itself. While Volcarona borrows wings from the sun, Slither Wing seems birthed from the torch-like Larvesta, raging in primordial Paldea eras before joining that flight upwards.

As a Paradox variant, GameFreak has woven Slither Wing wonderfully into existing lore – and its torchbearer role as possible ancestor to the sun-kissing Volcarona line sheds new light through probing its fiery origins. Surely more secrets await uncovering to link the narrative and evolutionary dots towards Volcarona‘s truly ancient ancestry.

But by all evidence so far, for those seeking Volcarona‘s precursor, gaze no further than Larvesta‘s spitting image – the blazing titan Slither Wing itself!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Do you think Slither Wing extends the Volcarona clan? And what other insights can we unearth from this magnificent moth?