Is Suicune technically considered a boxart?

Question

Because it's on the box for the crystal cartridge, y'know?

Answer 1

Yes. Suicune is a game mascot, as the only criteria to be a game mascot is to simply be on the cover of the box.

It's a bit of a black sheep when it comes to box art legendaries however (essentially the same term, excluding non-legendaries like Charizard, Pikachu, etc), as it has a BST below 600 and is the only member of a trio to be on the box art. Though it still meets this criteria regardless.

It's important to know that game mascots and box art legendaries are fan terms, so people may have different criteria on what counts for it and what doesn't.

Comments

I consider it a boxart legendary if it's on the box and a legendary.

A little nitpicky, the wording of your answer could be interpreted as saying Suicune is not a legendary.

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I edited my answer to make it clear Suicune is a legendary, as well as to make what I said clearer. Hopefully that helps.

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I've heard people use "special Pokemon" or "restricted Pokemon" when they want to specifically refer to legendary Pokemon with high stats. Pokemon like Mewtwo, Arceus, Zygarde, Eternatus, Calyrex, and Terapagos still haven't appeared on a game's box art.

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I like to consider those ones "boxart-level" legendaries

Answer 2

I may be misunderstanding this question, but it's on the box, and it's a legendary, and the story is about it.

Suicune is the game mascot of Pokémon Crystal, appearing on the boxart.

Even though Pokémon Gold and Silver were the first games to use Legendary Pokémon (specifically Ho-Oh and Lugia) as game mascots, it was Crystal that incorporated them into the plot for the first time. The story additions involving the Legendary beasts (most prominently Suicune), Ho-Oh and Unown were unprecedented, since up until then no Pokémon had been referenced in the dialogue on more than one occasion. This was also evident in the fact that the Legendary beasts received a unique battle theme, and in that the plot climax was no longer limited to thwarting Team Rocket, instead culminating in the battle against Suicune at Tin Tower. Later generations focus on their game mascots as part of the plot involving the villainous team of the respective region (with the only exception being the remade versions; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen follow Pokémon Red and Green's footsteps, and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are similar to Crystal in keeping the two stories separated).

Source

A better term could be Game Mascot if you're worried about particularities, as it just means Pokemon on the Box Art.

Comments

so technically it IS? I'mm still not sure whether it's more a Ho-Oh/Lugia Groupie or if it's more in a trio with Raikou and Entei. I mean, it's a legendary beast, but it's more boxart-y than the other two.

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Yes, Suicune is a boxart legendary. Luigia and Ho-oh are a duo and counterparts, while Suicune, Entei and Raikou are a trio in the story. Suicune being a trio that doesn’t mean it can’t be a boxart legendary.

It’s a bit unusual compared to newer games for sure, but this was the second generation and the first with box legendaries. They haven’t developed a standard yet.