Nopon

Nopon (, Nopon) are a species found in the Xenoblade Chronicles series.

Appearance
Nopon are short, plump, and furry creatures, having pear-shaped bodies with no neck. They have short and thin arms and legs with two digits each. Attached to the back of their necks is a pair of long and flat appendages that end in four digits (three "fingers" and a "thumb"), and naturally sit wrapped around the neck. These are referred to as wings, but are used more like a second pair of arms. Nopon have large eyes that appear to be only pupils, no visible nose or ears, and usually a tuft of hair sticking straight up out of the middle of their head.

Nopon come in a variery of colours, including brown, pink, orange, tan, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. They are usually half the height of a human, though some can grow to equal a human. Many Nopon wear clothing - mostly vests, flower decorations, and mushroom hats - but just as many do not.

Characteristics
It is said that Nopon, despite having wings, cannot fly. However, several Nopon are shown able to hover in place and attempt to fall slower, so perhaps to them the ability to "fly" implies a greater level of skill or control that they cannot achieve.

While Nopon do seem to have their own language, they prefer to speak in a childish variant of the common language. Generally, they refer to themselves in the third person, use cutesy euphanisms, call strangers "friends", and use "pon" as a suffix on relation nouns (e.g. "sister" becomes "sisterpon"). Nopon names tend to use short syllables and repeated sounds, and they may apply this pattern to non-Nopon friends (e.g. calling Dunban "Dundun", or Rex "Rex-Rex"). Nopon who live amongst other races for a long time may lose these quirks and speak more normally.

Nopon often act as merchants, travelling the world to sell their wares and pass information between the various settlements. As a result, Nopon often appear in locations where no other people are.

Further Nopon characteristics depend on the game in question.

Xenoblade Chronicles
Nopon are native to Frontier Village, a giant tree in Makna Forest. They live a tribal and naturalistic lifestyle, domesticating creatures and producing wares from forest wood and pollen, while avoiding the use of metal.

Xenoblade Chronicles X
Nopon are native to Mira, forming nomadic caravans that travel around the planet.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Nopon do not seem to have any particular origin in Alrest, though they are most concentrated in Argentum, forming the basis of the Argentum Trade Guild. Nopon are capable of being Drivers, though this is apparently rare.

Xenoblade Chronicles

 * Riki
 * Dunga
 * Oka

Xenoblade Chronicles X

 * Tatsu
 * Koko

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 * Tora
 * Bana

Torna ~ The Golden Country

 * Nopon Halfsage

Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected

 * Kino
 * Nene

Other

 * Monopon