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Pokemonhas always loved portraying aspects of the culture each region is built around, from the society of the region itself to the Pokemon found within it. The first four generations were based around Japan, taking various elements from the area, most prominently inLegends: Arceus.
ThoughScarlet & Violettakes place in the obviously Spanish-inspired region of Paldea, the Teal Mask DLC takes place in Kitakami, a smaller region deeply tied to Japan. Ogerpon and the Loyal Three are further emblematic of this, pulling heavily from national folklore.
Updated July 30, 2025 by Hilton Webster:The tale of Ogerpon and the Loyal Three always felt like there were some missing pieces. Who was the boy who led the Loyal Three, and what is the unusual peach-shaped toy by the local store of Kitakami? With the Epilogue, many of these questions have been answered, and we’ve compiled them below, inspirations and all.
The Tale Passed Down In Kitakami
When you step off the plane and onto the land of Kitakami, you are immediately hit with the visually distinct design compared to Paldea. The area is flatter, made more of hills than mountains,with the exception of the central Oni Mountain.
Pushing harder into the cultural aspect of the region, your first formal task in Kitakami is toinvestigate the local history and folkloreby means of finding tourism placards that detail the history of the area.
The biggest part of this history isthe tale of Ogerpon, and how she was driven back into her secluded cave by the brave acts of a young boy and his three animal companions, adog, monkey, and a pheasant.
In the epilogue for Scarlet and Violet, it is revealed that Pecharunt takes the place of the young boy, having been the one to recruit Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti to their retinue.
Each placard tells you more of the tale —how Ogerpon came down from the mountainsto harass and steal from the people of Kitakami, how ayoung boy and three loyal animals battled them awayand stole her powerful masks, and howthis trio came to be protectors of the village. It’s an enticing tale and one that veryconveniently brings in a lot of tourismto Kitakami.
During the DLC,you are paired with Kieran, a student from Blueberry Academy and a native of Kitakami, who has an obsession with Ogerpon.
He is convinced Ogerpon is innocentand shown to be much more cruelly treated than she deserved to be and questions why this is.
In many ways,Kieran himself mirrors the tale of Ogerpon, feeling belittled and forced to lash out for not being respected.
Inspiration Behind Ogerpon And The Loyal Three
To better understand Ogerpon, the Loyal Three, the illusive Pecharunt, and their history in the land of Kitakami, itis equally important to know about Momotaro, the Peach Boy, an important folk tale in Japanese history.
There are plenty of variations to the story of Momotaro, just like any old tale, but the core premise always remains the same. In it, ayoung boy is born to an already elderly couple, and grows up to be inhumanely strong for his age.
After maturing somewhat, heleaves on a journey to slay the Onithat has been harassing his home, and encounters three animals along the way — adog, monkey, and pheasant.
Already, the parallels toOgerponand theLoyal Three of Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipitiare obvious.
Of particular note is that, in most renditions of Momotaro,the animals must be convinced to join Momotaroby offering them his own food in exchange for their help. There is very rarely an altruistic giving of their support.
As later shown with Pecharunt, this is almost exactly the case - they were given Binding Mochi to put them under the thrall of Pecharunt, and the Loyal Three acted upon Pecharunt’s wishes to join their journey.
Like howthe Loyal Three became a revered symbol for Kitakami, the same can be said of Momotaro for Japan. In real-life terms though, Momotaro has a darker history, one thatmay have been an inspiration for the treatment of Ogerpon, and the general twisting of actual history.
Though Momotaro is an older story, it became an important tool toteach morals during the Meiji period of Japan, a point when Japan had engaged in many imperial pursuits throughout Asia.
It became common at this point to portray Momotaro as a nationalist soldier, and for the Oni to become a metaphor for any enemy of Japan. In time, any specific acts of the Oni were forgotten, with them simply becoming whatever evil was most beneficial to portray at the time.
But it served to Kitakami’s benefit, with amassive amount of tourism and festivals generated by the tale.
The Misportrayal Of Ogerpon And The Revival Of The Loyal Three
The meta-historical use of Momotaro is just as integralto understanding Ogerpon and the Loyal Three as the text of the tale itself.
Much of Carmine’s character in the Teal Mask takes from this more xenophobic use of Momotaro, with herunconsciously following the tale passed down in Kitakami, and calling anyone who steps foot in her home an outsider, regardless of intentions.
On the flip side of this,Kieran is radicalised by the tale, lashing out and turning away from anyone who could help him because of the mountain of lies built around him his whole life.
As we see as the story progresses,Ogerpon herself wanted to live peacefully in Kitamaki, having travelled from far away with an unidentified friend of hers.
Yet this simple act of herbeing foreign to the people of Kitakami led to her and her friend being ostracisedand forced to live outside the town.The masks she wears were created by a friendly villager, not tools of evil, so she and her friend could walk among them peacefully.
In a distinct twist from the story recorded in Kitakami,Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti were simply passing animals who took an interest in the masksof Ogerpon and her friend.
Yet even this is an alteration, as Pecharunt was the one to command the Loyal Three to retrieve these masks in the first place. In many ways, the Loyal Three were Pecharunt’s own scapegoats. Pecharunt’s caretakers wished for shiny masks, and those of Ogerpon and her human companion matched perfectly.
Ogerpon’s friend resisted this andis implied to have been killed by the triojust so they could steal the masks for Pecharunt, and satiate their own greed.
Ogerpon went into a fury because of this,attacking the Loyal Three and Pecharunt to try to retrieve the masks that were stolen from her.The villagers witnessing this saw it as Ogerpon trying to wreak havoc and steal from innocent animals, and so they hunted her from the village.
Pecharunt was lost in the forest after being attacked by Ogerpon, hence their exclusion from both the tale passed down in Kitakami and even the truth known by Kieran and Carmine’s family.
No matter what was said by the friendly villager who made these masks in the first place, he was not believed. And so their own hatred of outsiders became willing ignorance because it served them better than to change their minds.
It is not until the acts of the DLC, with the revival of the Loyal Three and Ogerpon’s reclamation of her masks and Kieran’s willingness to share the truth that the opinions of the townsfolk, and even Carmine herself, came to change.
However,reality is hard to accept in practical terms, and in the post-game story of the DLC,the statue of the Loyal Three may be rebuilt to preserve Kitakami’s tourism industry. An act seen by the Caretaker as much more important than justice for Ogerpon.
The Ringleader Of The True Tale - Pecharunt
Scant mementoes exist of Pecharunt in the original journey through Kitakami. They exist as an oddity, fun toys and merchandise to boost the tourist industry of Kitakami, but no other significance.The small shop by the community center even has a Pecharunt-shaped plush named ‘Peachy’.
If accessing the epilogue for Scarlet and Violet involving Pecharunt is proving a bit confusing for you,we have a helpful guide on it!
The full history of Pecharunt is shared in a video on theOfficial Pokemon YouTube Channel, filling in the gaps of the tale of Ogerpon and the Loyal Three.
Pulling once again from the tale of Momotaro,Pecharunt very clearly takes the place of the young boy. An elderly couple had no children of their own and cared for Pecharunt in place of that. They loved Pecharunt like their own, and Pecharunt returned that love, though to an unfortunately extreme degree.
As we see in the Mochi Mayhem epilogue story,Pecharunt has the ability to create what is known as Binding Mochi, allowing them to control those who eat it. They did this too for the elderly couple caring for them. Why, you ask? The reasoning is tragically cruel - Pecharunt simply wanted more love.
Yet this Binding Mochi exerts more than Pecharunt’s control over those who eat it.It also brings out the greediest aspects of their personality. The couple, though infatuated with Pecharunt, began to make requests. Pecharunt, greedy for even more of their love, was happy to comply.
‘This will make them love me even more dearly’ it thought to itself.
One day, the events that would change Kitakami forever were set in motion. The elderly couple decided they would love Pecharunt all the moreif they could bring them a set of glorious masks. Though by all means a peculiar request, Pecharunt could not deny their desire for more affection, and so they set off.
Along the way, they encountered Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. Each had the power of raw strength, foresight, and mesmerisation respectively. Pecharunt saw them as vital to their journey andused their Binding Mochi to put them under their spell.
Eventually, they happened upon Kitakami, and spotted Ogerpon and their human companion amongst the revelry, donning their masks. Their beautiful, lustrous masks. Exactly what the elderly couple had requested of Pecharunt.
The group of thieving Pokemon tracked the duo home, with Pecharunt staying behind to issue orders. Though they succeeded in stealing the masks, they failed to do so undetected.Ogerpon’s closest friend fought back, but they were no match for the soon-to-be revered Loyal Three. Their spoils in tow, they left Oni Mountain.
However, they were halted along the way by Ogerpon. Enraged, she flew into a fury, beating down the Loyal Three with ease. Even their greedy, illusive ringleaderPecharunt did not escape her rage, and was sent flying into the forest with a mighty strike.Yet justice is rarely served to minorities - the villages witnessing this hunted Ogerpon away and hailed the Loyal Three as saviours.
Much of this story is told in more subtle ways in the Epilogue - Ogerpon, Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti all have unique reactions when battling Pecharunt.
Yet Pecharunt remained in the forest, abandoned and alone. It had made unwitting heroes of its servants, yet beneath their greed lay only ambition, and not an ounce of loyalty. They did not spare a thought for their forlorn leader.Pecharunt’s greed had been their undoing, and so they fell asleep upon the forest floor, having lost the life they so greedily craved.
