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With over 35 mainline video games in the Pokémon franchise to date, Pokémon design is a hot topic for every new version announced. There are currently 898 Pokémon total as of Pokémon Sword & Shield, meaning a lot of creativity needed to be tapped into when it comes to designing their physical forms. A lot of Pokémon clearly draw inspiration from real-world environments or animals, and viewers don’t need to guess at those Pokémon’s origins.
Other Pokémon rely on mythical inspirations for their designs, drawing from the imagination rather than any real-world happenings. And even others are designed on concepts or actions, such as time and punching. For mythical and conceptual inspirations, designers need to get more creative since they might not necessarily run into any real-world examples of what they’re envisioning.
10 Dialga Was Based On The Concept Of Time
Introduced in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Dialga is the legendary Pokémon for the Diamond version of the game. It’s a Steel/Dragon-type Pokémon with the highest special attack stat amongst Steel-type Pokémon, making it pretty impressive. When the game’s designers were thinking about Dialga’s design, they weren’t sure how to approach it since Dialga is a Pokémon that controls time. The end result is a Pokémon that sort of resembles a sauropod dinosaur with turquoise patterns that are reminiscent of a clock’s hands.
9 Wobbuffet Gives No Clues As To What It’s Based On
Dubbed the Patient Pokémon in the Pokédex, Wobbuffet is a unique Pokémon that makes use of a move set that relies on it countering attacks. Because of this, Wobbuffet was temporarily banned from many unofficial tournaments since its Ability, Shadow Tag, didn’t let defending Pokémon retreat and made it difficult to counter. Wobbuffet’s shape, black tail, and strange limbs don’t seem to resemble any real-world phenomenon or imagery, so it’s tough to guess what the design team was thinking when they created it.
8 Azelf Is Cryptically Called The Willpower Pokémon
One of a set of three additional Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, Azelf is credited with giving humans the strength to face challenges in life. With such an amorphous theme to draw from, it’s not clear if Azelf is particularly sporting any references to willpower.
At best, Azelf resembles some kind of fairy or maybe even an elf, but it doesn’t quite look like any existing phenomenon in the real world. Its triangular-shaped head and long sweeping tails make it look more like a fairy tale creature than anything else.
7 Mewtwo Is Based On The Concept Of Bioengineering
As a clone of Mew, Mewtwo is based on a real-world concept, but its design doesn’t match anything occurring in nature. Instead, it seems more like a mashup of a cat, kangaroo, and squirrel, owing to its long limbs, tail, and cat ear-like protrusions on its head. Even so, a creature resembling Mewtwo hasn’t been found in nature yet, meaning its design had to be imagined on the concept of cloning with Mew’s design as a springboard.
6 Clefairy Is An Amalgamation Of Moon Symbolism
Believed to be Pokémon that descended from the Moon, Clefairy were always meant to be representative of extraterrestrial life. Luckily, Clefairy’s design is pretty cute, but it doesn’t quite resemble a real-world animal on its own. Its fluffy tail, large ears, and wings combine to give it an otherworldly appeal, whether it be from the Moon or a fairy tale. Clefairy are known to worship the Moon and will come down from their mountain homes to dance in the moonlight.
5 Gengar Is The Original Ghost Pokémon
When conceptualizing ghosts, most people would think of an apparition mimicking a human. This is, of course, different when it comes to Ghost Pokémon. Gengar is a round, purple menace with spikes protruding from its back, large red eyes, and a wide grin that’s only slightly off-putting. It could possibly be based on a porcupine or a hedgehog, but in shape only, and even then, it’s a stretch. Based on its Pokédex entries, it’s more likely that Gengar is based on a combination of ghosts and shadows.
4 Eternatus Is Officially An Alien
A Pokémon Sword & Shield Legendary Pokémon, Eternatus supposedly fell to the Earth in a meteorite approximately 20,000 years ago according to legend. Eternatus has one of the more terrifying entries in the Pokédex, as it vaguely resembles a long, dragon-like body with sharp protrusions that almost look like a skeleton.
It doesn’t appear to have any eyes or organs, prompting trainers to wonder how, exactly, Eternatus sustains its life. But since it’s an alien lifeform anyway, it’s likely that its inner workings will continue to remain a mystery.
3 Only Lickitung’s Tongue Is Recognizable
Although Lickitung has a long tongue that’s presumably based on a chameleon, that’s where the reference to real creatures stops. From its smooth pink body and yellow markings to its fat, curly tail, it’s tough to see where else Lickitung’s design could have been based on real-world phenomena. The Pokédex names it as the Licking Pokémon, which gives a hint to its possible mythical origin. The akaname is a Japanese yokai that’s known for licking the filth that collects in bathtubs and bathrooms, making it a potential inspiration for Lickitung.
2 Dragonite Is Clearly Inspired By Myth & Legend
Thanks to the “dragon” in its name, it’s not too difficult to figure out what Dragonite is supposed to represent. And although legends and artwork of dragons do exist in the real world, dragons themselves definitely don’t exist in the real world. Dragonite’s design is a collection of different elements associated with mythical dragons, presumably focused on European archetypes of dragons rather than East Asian archetypes, although Dragonite’s antennae seem to be more Eastern-inspired.
1 Zygarde Is One Of The Most Uniquely Designed Pokémon In The Game
Out of Zygarde’s three forms, only one is easily linked to the real world: Zygarde 10% Forme. This form clearly resembles a canine, but by its Complete Forme, Zygarde has lost almost all links to anything occurring in nature. It’s got a humanoid frame but doesn’t really look like a human. Instead, its flat, hexagonal features almost make it look like mecha or a digital program. It’s unclear where design inspiration came from for Zygard, but it’s a pretty impressive Pokémon, nonetheless.
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