Cubone has received generally positive reception, noted as a particularly sad and creepy Pokémon due to its backstory. Despite finding its backstory and the concept behind its design sad,
Comic Book Resources writer Katie Schutze found its design cute.
Destructoid writer Ben Davis remarked how Cubone was always a staple in his team, stating that it was his favorite. He found Marowak cool, but felt that it had less charm than Cubone, so he never evolved it. When he played
Red and
Blue, he imagined that the Cubone he caught was the one whose mother haunted Pokémon Tower, wanting to be able to be there for it. According to
Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Cubone was the inspiration for the "Skull Crawler" creature. He noted that they started from the design used in the original 1933 film
King Kong, ultimately creating a creature with a "bone-white face" and "black, scaly skin," realizing after the fact that Cubone had inspired the design. He exclaimed how much he loved Cubone, as well as remarking about how sad a story it had. Cubone's relationship with its mother has been the subject of discussion by critics.
Fanbyte writer George Yang discussed how Marowak reminded him of his upbringing as a Chinese-American, specifically in how the Marowak that gave its life protecting its child. He discussed his feelings that Asian immigrant families will do anything for their children, and that this resonated with him through Marowak's sacrifice.
TheGamer writer Stacey Henley felt that it was one of the "earliest, greatest narrative moments" in
Pokémon, arguing that this led to its story being featured in
Pokémon Origins. In particular, the pair's appearance in ''Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!
and Let's Go, Eevee!
has received praise. NetEase
staff complimented the depiction of the scene between Cubone and its mother in these games, discussing how sad the scene was for many children back in Red
and Blue
. They felt it was the most touching scene in the game, adding that it made the depressing scene in the original games more loving. Pocket Tactics
writer Nathan Ellingsworth stated that this scene made him cry, and that it was among his most memorable moments in the franchise. Bloody Disgusting'' writer Cian Maher felt that the changes made to Cubone's story were enough to make a big difference, feeling that the staff gave Cubone's story "some real love" and described it as "touching and bittersweet in the most heartfelt way." He appreciated that they gave more focus to Cubone in the story. Due to Cubone's backstory, it has been the subject of multiple
creepypastas, with the glitch Pokémon "M" connected to it, Marowak, and Kangaskhan by theorists and creepypasta authors. A well-known fan theory exists that suggest that Kangaskhan is Cubone's dead mother, and the baby in Kangaskhan's pouch evolves into a Cubone, believing that the glitch Pokémon
MissingNo. is connected to them. Theorists argue that they have visual similarities, justifying the theory. It is also theorized that Cubone eventually evolves into Kangaskhan.
GamesRadar+ writer Ashley Reed argued that this theory was credible due in part to the similarities between Cubone and a baby Kangaskhan, as well as the fact that both Cubone and Kangaskhan have a "uniquely strong mother-child connection." It is speculated that this idea was dropped due to being too dark. Another theory suggests that Cubone was a baby Charmander whose parent died, with the argument being that Cubone's plush with a removable helmet bore a "suspiciously" similar design to Charmander. Part of the theory involved the idea that Alolan Marowak's Fire type may be due to this claimed connection. ==References==