The new Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s second trailer have quickly become wildly popular since their reveal on June 1, but their designs almost make them look like rip-offs of Pokémon from past regions. It’s understandable that the Pokémon series is seemingly repeating itself since it has been running for 25 years and has almost 1000 monster designs in total, but it’s also somewhat concerning. Hopefully, any more new species revealed in the future will look more distinct than the ones that have come so far.
In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, players will explore a region that is as of yet unnamed. Unlike most games, there will be two professors instead of one along with two different sets of default clothes for the protagonists, both of which depend on the version of the game players choose. Scarlet & Violet‘s Pokémon Centers have also changed, as they appear to be convenient open booths instead of full buildings that require transitions, reflecting the game’s new open-world format that goes beyond what Pokémon Legends: Arceus did. It will also feature four-player co-op, a surprising development that has interesting implications for the series going forward. The innovations and new features revealed so far are heartening given the Pokémon series’ reluctance to change for so long.
Lechonk, Pawmi, and Smoliv, along with the box legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon, were revealed in the June 1 trailer. Although none of them are carbon copies of past Pokémon, they do bear undeniable similarities to some creatures from previous generations and could be mistaken for regional variants instead of their own separate species. The trailer also confirmed that there will be many returning monsters in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s region, including a decades-missing Pokémon without an appearance in the mainline games. The full Pokédex is still unknown, but hopefully it will have plenty of original Pokémon that don’t resemble ones from past regions too much.
Pawmi Shares A Color Palette With Buizel In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Pawmi is one of three non-Legendary Pokémon revealed in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s June 1 trailer. It appears to be the “Pikachu Clone” of the region (almost every generation of games has an electric rodent that resembles Pokémon‘s classic mascot). The similarities between Pikachu and Pawmi are rather obvious, as they’re both Electric-Type mice with very similar body shapes and round cheeks colored differently from the rest of their fur. Apparently, Pawmi’s yellow cheeks are specialized organs that generate electricity and are used in conjunction with similar ones in its paws. It also has thick fur that both insulates it from the cold and stores electrical power.
Among the new Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet‘s second trailer, Pawmi is perhaps the one that least resembles an already-existing creature. However, it appears to use the same color palette as Buizel, a Water-Type Pokémon from Gen 4’s Sinnoh region. Both have highly similar shades of orange, yellow, and cream for their fur, although the inside of Pawmi’s ears appears to be a darker blue-green than Buizel’s blue fins. A shared color palette doesn’t quite make it a rip-off, but it still makes Pawmi feel less original than it might have if it had different colors, so hopefully its evolution in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet – if it has one – doesn’t resemble Floatzel overly much.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s Beloved Lechonk Looks Like Tepig
Lechonk is another of the new Pokémon from Scarlet & Violet‘s second trailer. It’s a pure Normal-Type that’s something of a gourmand, as it seeks out only the finest Berries to eat, which gives it a distinct odor that repels other Pokémon. The “Chonk” part may sound cute, but Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s Lechonk’s name is darker than it appears at first glance. The dish “lechón” is a baby piglet that is roasted whole, and is quite common in Spain as a festive food served during special occasions. Scarlet & Violet has been extensively compared to real-life Spain, which supports this unfortunate origin. Its food-seeking nature appears to come from truffle pigs, so Lechonk doesn’t have a completely tragic inspiration, but it’s still quite unsettling to think about.
Though there are plenty of differences between them, Lechonk does bear something of a resemblance to the Fire-Type starter Pokémon of Gen 5’s Unova, Tepig. Both are four-legged diminutive pig Pokémon with similar stubby legs and curly tails, and the pink on Lechon’s hooves shares the shape of the brown on Tepig’s front hooves. The commonalities may be somewhat subtle, but once they’re pointed out, they can’t be ignored; while players won’t confuse the two while they’re exploring Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s open world, it can’t be denied that Lechonk looks like it could be an alternate form of Tepig.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s Smoliv Looks Like Budew
Smoliv greatly resembles another Grass-Type Pokémon from a previous game, Gen 4’s Budew. Smoliv is a Grass/Normal-Type Pokémon that produces a pungent oil from the olive on its head via photosynthesis, which allows it to go for up to a week without eating or drinking and serves as a defense mechanism that allows it to escape should it be attacked by other Pokémon. It seems to prefer sunny climates and sunbathing, and is described as the “Olive Pokémon.” Most Pokémon games have a common Grass-Type species that is similar to Gen 1’s Oddish, and Budew and Smoliv both appear to fill that role.
Many of the new Pokémon revealed for Scarlet & Violet have similar appearances to past ones, but Budew and Smoliv may have the most similarities among them. Their shapes are very alike with the same conical legs and round body, and the olive on Smoliv’s head bears a resemblance to the flower bud on Budew’s. They also share similar color schemes and are even comparable in size, with Smoliv standing at one foot tall to Budew’s eight inches, although Smoliv is almost seven times Budew’s 2.6 lb weight. Whether Smoliv will grow into two more evolutions that resemble Roselia and Roserade is too soon to say, but hopefully it will be distinct and not copy Budew further.
Even Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s Legendaries Look Like Other Ones
Even Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s box art Legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon, have similarities with other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon from previous generations. The games’ theme of past versus future, as evidenced by Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s two new professors, Sada and Toru, is further exemplified with the primal-looking Koraidon – “Korai” meaning ancient in Japanese – and the futuristic Miraidon, with “Mirai” meaning future. Most of the details about these two, like their Types and how they’ll fit into the story of the games, are unknown, but it’s confirmed that they’re highly powerful like most legendaries are.
Koraidon and Miraidon appear to draw inspiration from a few different Pokémon from across the generations. Miraidon looks rather like Lunala of Gen 7’s Alola mixed with the jet-like features of Gen 3’s Latias and Latios and the robotic modifications that were given to Gen 5’s Genesect, while Koraidon appears somewhat like a combination of Yveltal and Solgaleo with Ho-Oh’s colorful plumage. Pokémon Scarlet & Violet‘s new legendaries may have impressive designs, but if they’re examined closely, their inspirations from other box art monsters start to emerge.
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