It’s no secret that Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise in the world; its impact on pop culture is undeniable. Whether it be the video games, anime or trading card game, you’ve undoubtedly felt its impact in the last three decades. There are more reasons for its longevity than one could possibly write in an article, hell, you’d need a dissertation at minimum. But for now, I wanted to discuss the design philosophy behind the creatures that the artists at Game Freak brought to life. Why they are appealing, why every single Pokémon has a fan, even the ones that seem completely undesirable (I’m looking at you, Dunsparce).
Devil in the Details
Since the beginning, Pokémon has relied on its strong creature design to attract and spark the imagination of its players. Every generation, from one through to modern times has always had the player hinge on one key decision: version choice. While version differences come in many forms, the key primary motivating factor for most players will come down to one solitary decision: which monster looks best on the box. From Charizard and Blastoise to Miraidon and Koraidon, this philosophy has reigned true. So, the designs of the attractive box mascots need to be eye-catching and intriguing, but this design philosophy is deeply integrated into every creature they manufacture.
Official concept art for Popplio
Ultimately, each creature follows strict design criteria that follow protocols to ensure that they make cohesive sense and are not overdesigned. Each Pokémon needs to feel like a real animal within a realistic ecosystem, complementing the environment and other inhabitants of said environment.
Take Viridian Forest, a dense woods filled with bugs, mice and birds. There is a clear predator-to-prey chain happening here, but to stop the predators being too overwhelming, they gave the mouse an edge, electricity. This means the mouse can stop the birds, but the birds still reign supreme over the bugs in the ecosystem. Designers also carefully consider what these creatures do, day to day. What do they eat, where do they live, what their temperament is like and work this into their design and behaviour.
Evolution of Designs
Taking animals and other organic creatures and combining them with an adjective is Pokémon at its simplest form. Frog plus flower equals Bulbasaur at its purest form, but with bold features such as its bulb, and a clear colour palette that complements the restrictive technology of handheld gaming. Having this limitation kept creature designs straightforward and easy to translate into other mediums. So when it came to making the anime, the TCG or the 3D titles, the transition was seamless and these features and behaviours were considered well in advance.
Pokémon had a relatively seamless transition to 3D from 2D sprites thanks to their detailed concept art.
As time progressed, the design philosophy opened up a bit, often mixing real-world cultural entities and combining them with animals and fictional designs. For example, Xerneas and Yveltal are heavily inspired by Nordic mythology and creatures related to Yggdrasil. Usually, these elements are used sparingly and take inspiration from lots of places, rather than a 1:1 representation of a single real-world counterpart. At other times, they push designs to their limit, like with Ultra Beasts. These designs have features that are either so exaggerated or bereft of readable characteristics (like eyes) that they appear alien, even to Pokémon’s standards, whilst still feeling inherently Pokémon-coded, which is an impressive feat.
Ultra Beasts simultaneously appear alien and Pokémon-like
But, most importantly of all, every Pokémon should be a friend. Regardless of how formidable, creepy, strange or powerful they are, it should be feasible for someone to befriend them. Whether that be a hiker with a Tyranitar, or a bug catcher and his Metapod, there’s a Pokémon for everyone, and a person for every Pokémon.
Something for Everyone
To help demonstrate this, here’s a selection of personal favourites from our community.
“Derpy little silly guy, resonates with my silly guy energy. He is just a silly goober that is weak to water and lives in it” – Lem
“One of my favourite Pokémon has to be Trubbish. Due to the nature of the Pokémon, many trainers in universe refuse to catch them because of its stench alone. Which brings the lil fella to life in Legends Z-A. If you hold a Pokéball in your hand they will get excited and run towards you. How could people say no to its lil adorable face!” – Gwynn
“Behold. Unconventional. Undiscussed. Unknown. Unown H is one of many Pokémon given this designation. However, it is superior because of its symmetrical shape and its resemblence to not only a pokéball, but also a TIE Fighter. Perhaps these things were based on Unown H, and not the other way around?” – Dave, Editor in Chief of Underlevelled and the rumoured leader a cult called Preperation H
“Quagsire is my derpy goat. Just the epitome of happiness, regardless of what is going on (which isn’t much when you look at him”. I fond him rather good in my first every playthrough of Soul Silver. He holds a special place in my heart as I took him everywhere in the Pokewalker.” – Mos_
“There are two things that matter most to become one of my favourite Pokemon. 1: they have to be cute. 2: are they a silly little guy? If so, then they don’t have to battle their way to my heart. This can be seen in many of my favourites: Wooper, Ditto, Surskit… But the one that made a giant impact on me is Shuckle. Now, I know that Shuckle can be seen as popular due to his strength in competitive scenes and his meme culture, but from the first time I saw the sweet baby as a 6-year-old, I fell in love. Never did I think that a parasitic rock would become MY rock… I love Shuckle.” – Melty
The Pokémon For Me
From my perspective, there are many popular Pokémon that I love and respect the designs of. Umbreon is a key favourite of mine, hell, I even love Charizard despite his over exposure. But, there are a few quirky creatures that I absolutely adore. Lunatone is a notable one, its crescent moon design and his alien origin makes it incredibly intriguing. Zigzagoon is another, especially his Galarian form – the fact he runs everywhere in zigzags and has that goofy expression on his face fills my heart. But, there is one Pokémon that for no discernible reason I absolutely cherish.
Wurmple is totally unassuming, just an early route bug type designed to help the player learn about evolution. His quirk is the ability to evolve into one of two Pokémon, Silcoon and Cascoon, with no way for the player to discern which until they evolve it. Its final evolutions are quickly outclassed, great for early game, but there’s not much reason to raise one further than that. But, for reasons I cannot explain, I love this little worm more than I can say. I believe this love started with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, I decided to DexNav shiny hunt one, for no real reason. Doing so, I discovered and appreciated his purple colouration, this was a game-changer.
An intelligent boy! A handsome boy! A boy of many talents! And he loves to pose for photos!
Affectionately dubbed “Purmple”, his empty, “stare into your soul” expression paired with his bold purple colouring caught my attention. I continued to cherish Wurmple until Pokémon GO released a special costume for Wurmple based on promotional art wearing a party hat. This was fantastic, my cherished favourite partying it up in the big leagues with Pikachu and the others. I made it a mission to get a shiny one, and eventually, one was traded to me.
To Conclude
Pokémon is magical not only for its lore, worldbuilding and entertaining media. The creatures feel alive, and people can genuinely build real and heartfelt connections to these digital monsters. Whether it be my love for Wurmple, Gwynn’s admiration for Trubbish or Dave’s cult-like obsession with Unown-H. We all share this connection with this IP and the talented artists that brought these ideas to life. Pokémon will stand the test of time thanks to its relatability and ability to captivate our minds and imaginations. As I said before, every Pokémon has a person, even Unown-G (citation needed).
Thanks for reading, if you want more Pokémon Day reading then please check out last years article on our favourite aspects of Pokémon. If you are the person that loves Unown-G above all others, please let us know, we’d love to know why (you sick fuck. Ed)
Video game completionist and 3D platformer connoisseur, Riley is a fan of the whimsical frenzy of bright and colourful characters that blessed us in the late 90's. Their favourite game's are Spyro, Persona 5 and Super Mario Sunshine.
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