I’ll Say It: We All Crushed on Professor Kukui

We’re just three months away from the debut of Pokemon Sword and Shield on the Nintendo Switch. As we transition from Sun and Moon to the Pokemon series’ newest edition, let’s be honest with our feelings while also going goodbye to one of the highlights of the last game.

I’m talking about Professor Kukui. From the moment the muscular, olive complexion and grey sweatpants wearing “move expert” walked across our DS screens, he was the much needed eye candy that surely delighted queer Pokemon fans. Not only was Kukui nice to look at, he also served as one of our closest companions and the final boss after beating the Pokemon League in the Alola region. Plus, who doesn’t love a hot guy with a cute dog (Rockruff)? I can’t be the only one who immediately started crushing on Professor Burnet’s husband.

A Pokemon professor, a masked royal and so much more, Kukui was also an accomplished trainer. An early glimpse into his bungalow showed that he captured the likes of Poliwhirl, Murkrow, Snubbull, Corsola, Luvdisc and Stufful. And in the same sequence when in the early stages of our Pokmeon Sun and Moon journey, we were also treated to the tongue-in-cheek declaration of “my body is read!” Let me not forget to mention the fact that Kukui challenged The Indigo League in Kanto and was somewhat successful. Don’t we all just love a man who gets work done?

Sure, the fact that Kukui refers to us as “cousin” throughout the entire game is a little off-putting and the fact that your avatar is basically a child only adds to that level of discomfort. But you can surely enjoy the beauty of Kukui so long as you look at him from second or third person perspective. Those arms, the confidence, the stupid white hat that he never takes off… It’s almost as if Kukui embodies that one straight friend that you wanted to bang but could never get with. And watching the anime to put a masculine voice to the hot character is icing on the cake. Oh, the pining…

Plus, if you’re feeling risky, searching Professor Kukui fan-art yields some… interesting and butterfly-in-the-stomach inducing results.

As we move on to the next adventure in the Pokemon saga, Professor Kukui will be one of our fondest memories from our time in the Alola region.

About The Author

Michael Therkelsen

[He/Him] Michael was born and raised at the Jersey Shore and he loves love horror films, video games, hiking and cooking. He auditioned for American Idol in season 6 and worked as a vet tech before finally discovering his passion for writing. He has several short stories available for purchase on e-readers, and is obsessed with UFC, American Ninja Warrior and running half-marathons. With a wide area of interests and hobbies, he’s excited to help other people in the LGBT community discovery the world of gaming.

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