I’m Luke Summerhayes and I love Pancham.
Bears are my favourite animals for a number of reasons. They can be both cute and fearsome in equal measure. They take the friendly shape of dogs and pair it with the mirror on the human condition of apes and monkeys. They share a very similar environmental niche with humans and appear in most of the same places we do, our stronger shadow, more in tune with nature.
Giant Pandas are almost none of that. Black and white goofballs who eat bamboo, fall out of trees and are too lazy to propagate their own species, panda bears are the adorable but slightly useless cousins on the bear family tree. Living only in select mountainous areas of china, often alongside the similar but unrelated red pandas, until fairly recently it was debated whether they even were bears. Now we know they are, and I embrace them as fully as their more competent relatives.
Pancham is a fighting-type panda Pokémon, slightly more black in color than a real panda, giving a mischievous grin and chewing a little leaf.
Moon
There's no point to the leaf in its mouth, aside from an effort to look cool. It's mischievous, so it's not well suited to inexperienced Trainers.

Ultra Sun
It follows Pangoro around like a henchman. When Pancham makes a big mistake, its leaf gets taken away.

Real life panda bears are pretty harmless, but they have fangs and can do their best to intimidate if they have to.
Y
It does its level best to glare and pull a scary face, but it can't help grinning if anyone pats its head.

Ultra Moon
It's desperate to intimidate its opponents. Be nice and pretend to be scared if you catch it glaring at you intensely.

The name Pancham combines panda with punch and maybe champion. A punching panda may bring to mind a certain Jack Black animated film, but I think Pandas and Kung Fu being two big Chinese exports makes linking them a fairly natural move for both Dreamworks and the Pokemon Company to make. The Japanese name is Yancham, almost the same but incorporating yancha, meaning naughty.
Sun
It grows up imitating the behavior of Pangoro, which it looks up to as a leader.

Pandas are an at-risk species, so a large number of them are kept today in captivity or protected environments, exposed constantly to human handlers. They are very prone to picking up mannerisms and habits from their carers, and Pancham is just as impressionable. If, when it hits level 32, there is a Dark Type Pokémon in the party, Pancham will evolve into Pangoro.
Pangoro is a big, bulky Panda with a scowling expression and fur which forms a kind of long black coat. It chews a long stalk and, along with its new Fighting and Dark typing, looks every bit the delinquent.
Ultra Moon
Pangoro is the type to talk with its fists. It doesn't say much as it pummels opponents with enough force to send a dump truck flying.

Sword
This Pokémon is quick to anger, and it has no problem using its prodigious strength to get its way. It lives for duels against Obstagoon.

A Panda that does Kung Fu, as I mentioned earlier, is obviously a Pokémon inspired by China. This does raise an awkward question, as a Japanese game developer making their Chinese character a criminal is leaning into problematic stereotypes. I don’t think Pangoro is fully villainous though, more of a Kazuma Kiryu figure with a heart of gold.
X
Although it possesses a violent temperament, it won't put up with bullying. It uses the leaf in its mouth to sense the movements of its enemies.

Moon
From the slight twitches of its bamboo leaf, it deduces its opponent's movements. It's eager to tussle but kindhearted toward its companions.

When I first started this podcast, I took part in a Pokémon Draft league against other podcasts. I’m not a competitive player, and I did terribly, only winning one game, but my team name was Nagano Pangoro, after the Nagano Parceiro football club of my then home city. I don’t think I used a Pangoro much though.
Pangoro has incredible physical attack, and decent coverage with the dark and fighting typing, but it lacks speed. Some players can make it work with trick room teams or speed boosting techniques, but we needed to wait a couple of generations for a fighting and dark bear to truly dominate competitive Pokémon battling.
This was the sixth generation, and brought our fourth new bear-based Pokémon family. As I’m sure any listener can guess, I would gladly have a six-bear Pokémon team and, even if Urshifu is technically better, Pangoro will have a place in that roster.
Music for Luke Loves Pokemon is by Jonathan Cromie. Artwork for the show is by Katie Groves. If you enjoy the podcast, find out about my other shows at podcastiopodcastius.org, get in touch on bluesky @podcastpodcast, or support the show at patreon.com/podcastiopodcastius.
I love hearing from Listeners! Up next are furfrou and Espurr, so hit me up about those or any other Pokemon. Even if you don’t feel like doing any of that, thank you so much for listening.
I love Pancham. And remember, I love you too