Talk:Jaxi

Jaxi is not a Lion
Jaxi is not a Lion because:

1. He has spots 2. His name is a combination of Jaguar and Taxi 3. That's not a mane is That's not a mane, it's a kind of collar

--VoyagerDefault (talk) 17:12, 5 October 2017 (EDT)
 * I'm gonna agree with this. The area is based on Mexico, and therefore draws its inspiration from the surrounding areas. With that in mind, wouldn't it make sense for this to be a jaguar, an animal that is local to Central and South America, rather than a lion, which is only native to Africa? Besides, jaguars are often featured in Mesoamerican cultures, hence its appearance. 17:26, 5 October 2017 (EDT)
 * Looks like it can be interpreted either way to me. The beard also resembles something on Egyptian artifacts. While I think the initial basis was indeed MesoAmerican, it looks to me like they may have thrown in some details from another desert culture (ancient Egyptian) to spice things up and keep them from being too trite. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 20:08, 5 October 2017 (EDT)
 * I'm pretty sure it's based on Xolotl, of Aztec mythology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xolotl
 * I'd say given that the now-confirmed JP name calls it a lion, that it's a lion. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 04:45, 6 November 2017 (EST)

Individuality
While apparently some text from outside the game refers to this as a species, the game always treats the rideable Jaxi as an individual. Not only do the Jaxi stations ask if you want to "Call the Jaxi," there's the fact that the first time you meet him, atop Jaxi Ruins, you have to pay a fee before you ride him, and this never happens again. It seems unlikely that multiple characters would accept payment given to another person. Thirdly, there's the fact that only one moving one can appear at one time, and is the former South-facing statue atop the Inverted Pyramid. While the "dormant" ones seem to be of the same species, they are never interacted with beyond having the rideable one "visit" one and putting Cappy on the tail of another, so it seems misleading to refer to the rideable ones as a species. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 00:50, 20 May 2018 (EDT)
 * It looks like the Japanese text does support this notion since the Jaxi taxi is basically referred to as the Jaxi Bus while the Jaxi Ruins drops that part from the name, suggesting that the rideable character is a unique member of its species. The other languages seem to lose this detail, but even then, I'd say this case is still clear in context. LinkTheLefty (talk) 11:24, 20 May 2018 (EDT)
 * This discussion started a year and a half ago, then wavered off. Starting it back up again, It’s pretty clear that the Jaxi you rode is the same one, just like Yoshi, so by that logic, should we still split them? 184.181.102.188 01:38, August 15, 2019 (EDT)
 * Oh, Yoshis aren't necessarily the same one, but this one definitely is. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 02:30, August 15, 2019 (EDT)
 * Exactly. Since Yoshi and Toad are both characters and species, and the Jaxi Mario rides is the same one each time (thus making it the same character), while it’s clear that others of the same species exist, shouldn’t this be split with minimal discussion based on consistency? 184.181.102.188 03:42, August 15, 2019 (EDT)
 * I'd say so, especially since in this case the "species" are the always-dormant ones, and as such they are quite different. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 04:32, August 15, 2019 (EDT)
 * Bringing this discussion back to say I'd support a split. 18:35, March 30, 2020 (EDT)

Split the statues off
OK, so for starters, there is explicitly only one rideable Jaxi. He used to be atop the Inverted Pyramid, but you meet him in Jaxi Ruins, pay to ride him, and never have to pay again. If you could ride others, I doubt that they'd accept you paying another to ride them for free. The "species" is a bunch of immobile statues in some gargoyle-like state of dormancy. You can't interact with them beyond getting a Moon by Cappy-twirling a specific one's tail and bringing the specific Jaxi to one.

While later games may include more, giving a reason to revisit this, as it stands, having these utterly different-in-function-within-the-same-game subjects grouped together seems really sloppy. To avoid that, I'd suggest "Jaxi (dormant)" for the statue type.

Proposer: Deadline: April 21, 2020, 23:59 (GMT)

Support

 * 1) - Per proposal and discussion above.
 * 2) Per proposal.
 * 3) Per all.
 * 4) Some taxis are Jaxis, but not all Jaxis are taxis.
 * 5) Per all.
 * 6) - Per all.
 * 7) Per all

Comments
Do we even need an article about the statues? Aside from the one that gives you a Power Moon, they don't really do anything but act as decoration. Saying something like "There are several statues depicting Jaxis around Tostarena." seems like enough. 19:14, April 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * Jaxi the character was once one of them and sees them as family, so they seem to be a species on some level. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 19:52, April 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * I'm sure they used to be a species at some point, but uh not anymore. That one Jaxi's the last of his kind, I suppose. 19:54, April 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * No, it's explicitly stated he used to be on the blank corner of the pyramid. Basically, he's the only one who decided to get up and moving, not the other way around. They're some sorta golem-type thing and he said he wasn't content sitting around. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 20:23, April 7, 2020 (EDT)
 * Me trying to debate Super Mario Odyssey lore when I've only played through a fourth of the game :P 15:27, April 12, 2020 (EDT)

I honestly don't see splitting as necessary. The article could be just reorganized to make the ridable Jaxi a priority and give some coverage to the statues (ライドン石像 in Japan). Regardless of individuality, the English brochure still refers to the Jaxi in plural, so we may need to find the Japanese one for comparation. SmokedChili (talk) 04:01, April 17, 2020 (EDT)
 * In the event a later game shows multiple Jaxis to-ing and from-ing the mobile and statue forms, I'd be happy to revert. As for Japanese: Pluralization does not exist in Japanese, nor distinction between a character and a member of an identically named species. This is merely a translation oversight. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 11:27, April 17, 2020 (EDT)
 * "ライドン・バス ライドン・バスと呼ばれている、少し変 わった移動手段を紹介しよう. その背中に ひとたび乗れば、見た目の通りにアクセル 全開の全力疾走、荒々しくも頼もしい運転 が待っている.  積極的に利用して 起伏の激しい砂漠を豪 快に走るのも この土地ならではの楽しみ 方だろう.""Caption: 料金は きっちり前払い制"
 * Overall, pretty close to the English text, except it doesn't mention one or them. Even if it did, we technically don't know how old the brochure is, so it can still be correct. Signs otherwise point to the "bus"/"taxi" being unique of its peers. LinkTheLefty (talk) 14:22, April 17, 2020 (EDT)
 * You'll only reconsider through some hypothetical event rather than rethinking what disadvantages a split would cause? How wouldn't splitting be more slippy than keeping the info about all the Jaxis on the same page? SmokedChili (talk) 09:29, April 18, 2020 (EDT)
 * Because as it stands, they are extremely distinct, unlike, say, Boom Boom and Birdo? Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 12:25, April 18, 2020 (EDT)
 * More like as distinct as Grey and Gold Bowser Statues. SmokedChili (talk) 14:15, April 18, 2020 (EDT)
 * Except those are both nonspecific obstacle-enemies, and are closer to each other than Bowser Statues are across games. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 14:48, April 18, 2020 (EDT)
 * Right, because generic enemies can only have a role of a generic enemies unless it's a distinct character in a distinct role like Kamek... expect that's still a generic Magikoopa/Kamek enemy. The problem with this proposal is taking an already small subject and splitting it into two even smaller pages just because something has different functions, when it would inconvenience readers by having to look at two different pages for all the info. A single article wouldn't have that problem and it still wouldn't compromise there being signs to this one particular Jaxi, but since it's that one Jaxi acting differently it thus must have its own article according to you. That's like splitting generic Koopa Troopas or any non-Kamek enemy species from those that are playable just because there are PCs and NPCs. Or Toads or Yoshis for that matter, but this wiki already does that for those and it's pretty biased honestly. SmokedChili (talk) 13:51, April 21, 2020 (EDT)
 * ...each of those examples look identical to one another and have had so many roles regardless that splitting would be convoluted. There are no functional similarities at all here. There's less similar here than between Kamek and Magikoopa. Those at least look and sometimes act the same. These aren't even the same color, let alone behaviorally comparable. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 14:32, April 21, 2020 (EDT)
 * So going off the Japanese name mentioned by SmokedChili, the Prima guide uses the term "Jaxi statue" on pages 65 and 68, which is then capitalized to "Jaxi Statue" on pages 68 and 328. LinkTheLefty (talk) 13:49, April 22, 2020 (EDT)

I don't really agree with this being split
I was going to initiate this proposal, but I have personal objections before I try to follow through: making a distinction within this Jaxi article is enough. I don't think we need to emphasize one can be interacted more than the others by having the inconvenience of two pages that will contain a lot of duplicate information. That being said, I still do have problems with these character/species distinctions that I feel the series overall takes a very loose approach to, but Jaxi doesn't have much of a strong case and I believe having information on the statues and information on the one that's rideable in one easily-searched page is better than having a two articles linked by a set of distinguish templates and show up as two pages on the navigational templates and categories and whatnot. 18:00, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * The problem is that with most character/species things, there's no real difference between them, but with this one, they're as different as can be, with only one having any real indication of being even able to move or speak at all. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 21:19, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * Lore describes it as being able to move and speak which makes this individual separate from the others, but practically, it's a Jaxi. Keeping information in one page does not remove its identity, and we can have a paragraph or two saying there's one of them that can be ridden. 21:24, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * Problem with that is that aside from the brochure description, the game otherwise treats the Jaxi as a distinct character, and unlike other character/species the depiction tends to change on a whim, as of right now both are unique to one game and very cleanly divided within it. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 21:28, December 12, 2020 (EST)

I come armed with... information (probably brochure stuff?? let me know if it's just that). As a result, I'm not so sure. I've seen this one as just an member of the statues but not distinct enough that separate page is needed compared to a short section. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey does repeatedly refer to Jaxi interchangeably between one and an indefinite plural, with one referral to an individual, going as far to call this a "he". There is only one instance where there's indication of an individual and there's this gendering, too, but it also contradicts with a bio that refers to Jaxi as "it" and "these". But this frequent referral to the plural, as if multiple Jaxis can run around, and only one definite description for the individual makes me feel it's probably more practical to stick to one page. 21:46, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * The Jaxi Ruins (p. 109): "The Jaxi Ruins are filled with a deadly poison goo that only the Jaxis themselves can traverse", note the plural.
 * P. 110, designer's note: "The statues sitting atop the Inverted Pyramid bear a striking resemblance to the Jaxis. What's more, there are five statues standing where six should be. I wonder..."
 * However p. 111: "Stone statues: Placed on corners. One is missing. The missing one could have a backstory where it acts as a means of transportation.". Again, note plural, but also interesting to suggest a difference between the statues and the moving thing. Jaxi does refer to the creatures moving around, and the statues seem to be just a resemblance to them? This is an early developer note on an earlier design of a pyramid, however.
 * Jaxi bio p. 116: "A stone statue that dashes with reckless speed when Mario hops on its back. Pay thirty coins once, and you can ride these as much as you like." Again, note indefinite plural, "these".
 * Tips, p. 117: "A Quick Trip, a Jaxi Jaunt: The Jaxis run at full throttle when ridden, making them the best way to cross the burning desert. The enemies that only appear at night can't stand up to their fierce charge, and poison puddles are no match for their speed. There are even ruins you can only reach on Jaxi-back. Jaxis are made of study stuff. Obstacles are no problem, as this reliable steed charges through everything with ease. They say the Jaxi has some 'friends' near the Desert Oasis. He speaks of how things used to be in Tostarena."
 * Jaxi Stand, p. 117. "A spot you can call a Jaxi from. There are several of these stands throughout Tostarena." Uses indefinite article "a".
 * It's pretty clear we have fundamentally different viewpoints on this subject, though I still feel that, until when and if multiple are explicitly shown to be able to move at will and not just possibly-translation-lost mentions alleging this, it's no more merge-worthy than Flutter. Doc von Schmeltwick (talk) 22:41, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * Evidence suggests otherwise (this is far from a Wiggler/Flutter case; drastic different appearance, two different names, basically caterpillar/butterfly vs statue/statue that moves), supports my case for ambiguity and keeping the subject in a page acknowledges the ambiguity, and I don't think that evidence meets the burden of proof for page split. 23:29, December 12, 2020 (EST)
 * As I noted above, the Prima guide gives a separate name for Jaxi Statues, and that corresponds with the Japanese name also mentioned by SmokedChili, so I'm inclined to believe the plurality inconsistency is just an out-of-context translation error. LinkTheLefty (talk) 03:10, December 13, 2020 (EST)
 * The book also talks as if the statue resembles Jaxi, at a concept art note. I'm not really convinced that the plurality involved is a translation error (though that "he" pronoun is inconsistent) as opposed to an interpretation, especially when the plural also figures in-game nor I am I sure really what context is being removed. Some of those quotes are taken from the sidebars and such, not from concept art notes. 04:33, December 13, 2020 (EST)
 * The plural may be in-game (in the English text at least), though in fairness, we don't exactly know how long ago the brochure was printed. I also don't know much about a Japanese version of the artbook, but this still looks more like a reverse-Toad/Yoshi situation. EDIT: Well, upon closer inspection, there seem to actually be three types of Jaxis - the main rideable Jaxi (referred to as "Raidon Bus" in Japanese), the five Jaxi statues on the Inverted Pyramid, and the Jaxi Statue souvenir that appears to be a replica of the second. I presume this is where SmokedChili sourced the Japanese name. The English description reads as follows: "In the Tostarena region, the Jaxi has lived alongside the people since ancient times. This statue is made from the stones of the ruins!" Can someone check the Japanese text for me? Here is the Japanese text, referring to it as 「ライドン・バス像」 (Raidon Bus Statue). It basically translates to the same thing except the names were localized, notably Raiden Bus becoming Jaxi. Still though, I think it's pretty obvious there is mainly one active Jaxi left by the time Mario enters the Sand Kingdom (maybe two if you count the Jaxi that appears within Jaxi Ruins as a separate one since you can't take it outside, supported by the Prima guide and the fact that it's located ahead of Mario's spawn point, but it's implied to be the same one the player probably entered with), given the brief history it has as the missing statue on the Inverted Pyramid. However, for reference, the game's Prima guide is inconsistent on whether Jaxi is singular or plural. That also leaves the question of the source of SmokedChili's Japanese name. LinkTheLefty (talk) 05:59, December 13, 2020 (EST)

Luckily, I have the Japanese edition of The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, here are the corresponding Japanese sentences:

Page 109 ライドン遺跡は毒の池で満たされているため、ライドン・バスに乗って進んでいく

Page 110 さかさピラミッドの上に配置された像は、ライドン・バスにそっくりですが…6体設置されているうちの1体が足りません. まさか…？

Page 111 石造

隅に配置. 1匹欠けている. それが乗り物として動いている裏設定・・という案が出ています.

Page 116 ライドン・バス

背中に乗ると猛スピードで疾走する石像. コイン30枚を一度支払えば乗り放題となる.

Page 117 ライドン・バス乗り場

ライドン・バスを呼ぶことができる. アッチーニャ内に何か所か存在する.

Page 117 TIPS 快適な砂漠の移動にライドン・バス

ひとたび乗れば猛スピードで走り出すライドン・バスは、広い砂漠を移動するのに最適な乗り物. 夜の砂漠に出没する敵を体当たりでなぎ倒し、毒の沼の上も平然と駆け抜ける心強い存在. ライドン・バスに乗って進む遺跡もある.

ライドン・バスは丈夫. 障害物もものともせず、平然と駆け抜ける様はとても頼もしい

オアシスの近くには、友だと語る石像がいる. 過去の事情をうかがい知れる Most of the times, the Raidon Bus (「ライドン・バス」) is what is being referred to when speaking of Jaxi and as usual, it's not really possible to tell whether the word is singular or plural or even a proper noun or just a species noun without the context (e.g. 「ライドン・バス」 can both be used to refer to Jaxi as a proper noun and to say a Jaxi), hence the inconsistency in the translation.--Mister Wu (talk) 15:08, December 13, 2020 (EST)
 * It doesn't really clear up much for me. I still don't think the evidence is strong enough to suggest a separate character. The evidence appears to boil down to how we should interpret the Japanese text, and if we agree or not if the translators did an accurate job (which I assume we have to take their word for it considering the repeated plural referrals). I'd like to have input from more users about how to go with this. A proposal might be necessary, but for the time being, the page still has to be split according to the older proposal. 22:13, December 13, 2020 (EST)