by Silverhart » Thu Apr 06, 2017 2:56 pm
I'm not really into Pokémon nowadays, so I don't know what the official say on capitalizing vs. all lowercase is, but I could see it going either way. It depends on what you're using it as - is it a noun or a proper noun? If you're referring to the type or breed of Pokémon, then convention would have you write it all lowercase. Much as we might call a specific dog breed a terrier or poodle. But if the word refers to the specific name of an individual Pokémon you would capitalize the first letter. Kind of like if someone named their boxer dog, Boxer.
Plus, plenty of stories, myths and poems turn nouns into proper names, for any number of reasons. Sometimes it almost seems like it refers to an animal's last name (like Peter Rabbit), or it may serve as an honorific title; much as we would capitalize Professor or Mother (Coyote and Fox as well as many other animal characters from mythology and fables are a good example), or it could be a bit of poetic license, or it might just be that creature's actual name (like Toad from 'The Wind in the Willows').
Further complicating matters, the word Pokémon itself is a trademark, which means "Pokémon" should always be capitalized. I'm betting most of individual designs and names of the various critters are similarly trademarked or otherwise protected, which you could use as an excuse to capitalize them. If you're writing an essay you should definitely capitalize the word Pokémon, and perhaps even the various names of the different types. If you were writing a story that took place in a world where Pokémon is not a trademark, but an actual type of animal, then honestly you could go either way. It doesn't really matter so long as you're consistent with what style you choose.