Pokémon Nicknames: Pancham and Pangoro

Pancham (in Japanese: ヤンチャム “Yancham”) is a baby-form Fighting-type Pokémon. The little panda Pokémon evolves into Pangoro (in Japanese: ゴロンダ “Goronda”) starting at level 32, but the player must have a Dark-type Pokémon in their party. Pangoro is a dual-type Fighting/Dark Pokémon.

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I named my party-member Pancham “Chang Bang”. This is in reference to the Chinese river (and motorcycle brand) the “Chang Jiang”. Pandas are from China, so it fits. A friend of mine said that the names sounds too much like “gang-bang” as in these unruly gang-bangers who commit crimes in urban areas. Remember it is a FIGHTING type, so that is where the BANG comes from.

Speaking of the Chang Jiang, didn’t The Pretenders have a big hit in the 1980s “Back on the Chang Jiang”?  Wow — it sounds great …

My son named his party Pancham “Bam Boom” because Pandas eat bamboo, and the BOOM is for his punches.

I named a female Pancham “Lucy Liu” after the beautiful actress (she even had a part in the “Kung Fu Panda” movie). I did not let my Lucy Liu evolve from the cute/baby form … well, because Ms. Liu is so cute, and I could not imagine her as a Pangoro.

If you did not want a Chinese sounding name, maybe use “Sprigsteen” as these pandas are always chewing on a sprig of bamboo in the game (and you can use your “Sprig Hat” in Pokemon XY).

I named another one “Manchuria” after the Northeast Region of China. The related name “Manchukuo” may also be good along that same line of reasoning. Perhaps you could use “Kung Fu Cham” or something similar. I suggest any Chinese name which might have a special meaning for your fighter. You may like the name “Ming Gardens” after my favorite local restaurant.

The names Ming Ming (for a female) and Ling Ling (for a male) may also be good names, as these are the names of world famous Giant Panda’s which lived in East Asian zoos. Get this: Zookeepers have a problem breeding Pandas in captivity.  The ones which were born in captivity were especially clueless on how to do the mystery dance with each other.

I am not making this up: Back in the 1980s, American Zookeepers once tried showing a “panda porno” film to a young panda couple, in hopes that it would teach them to learn – what goes where. Sadly, the panda pair were more interested in the projector than the film, so that idea failed. Darn, I wish I could have found that hot panda film to share with you. In lieu of that, please enjoy a photo of the stimulating Lucy Liu I found in GQ magazine.

Click the thumbnail for a full-size image there Panda thumbs!

What is your favorite Panda name? Please comment!