A New Pokemon Named Lechonk Has Been Unveiled and Fans From the Philippines are Having a Field Day

Ever since the trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet dropped, fans seem to have found their favorite among the newly introduced Pokemon. It is none other than the Hog Pokemon known as Lechonk.

Specifically, it seems like Pokemon fans from the Philippines, a country located in Asia, are having a field day with this new Pokemon. Why? It has a lot to do with a dish known locally as "lechon."

A New Pokemon Named Lechonk

But before we get to how Lechonk took social media by storm, let us first talk about the actual Pokemon itself.

According to the press release from The Pokemon Company, Lechonk is a Hog Pokemon that will be part of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Two other Pokemon have been introduced along with it, namely a Mouse Pokemon called Pawmi and an Olive Pokemon named Smoliv.

Lechonk is a Normal type Pokemon that "may appear fat at first glance, but in reality, the Pokémon's body is mostly muscle built by constantly walking around in search of food," per the press release.

"If attacked by an opponent and startled, it will charge forward in a panic," the press release adds.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is scheduled for release on November 18.

Fans From the Philippines are Delighted with Lechonk

Just by looking at Lechonk, it is no surprise that fans and non-fans alike have seem to found a favorite in it. However, fans from the Philippines seem to be more amused with Lechonk than the rest of the world. Why is that? A local news site called Reportr explains it in its report:

Though Pokémon has yet to release an official etymology for the new character's name, some fans on Twitter have floated the idea that it is a portmanteau of "lechon," a slow-roasted pork dish Spanish reserved for special occasions, and "chonk," a slang noun used to describe adorably fat or large creatures such as cats, dogs, and even seals.

For reference, this is how lechon looks like:

It should be noted that lechon is a dish that is popular not only in the Philippines. It is also popular in Portugal and Spain. The latter, specifically Mediterranean Spain, is the inspiration for the new region that will feature in the upcoming Pokemon games.

For those who are wondering how a Spanish dish reached all the way to Asia, the Philippines used to be a Spanish colony. In fact, the Philippine was a colony for a total of 333 years.

Here examples of tweets from fans from the Philippines about Lechonk, along with the tweets from other Pokemon fans: