Evolution of Pokémon Designs

[Percy]

Spoiler:

Found this on twitter.
This is very interesting and actually makes me look back over these past few generations' worth of 'mons. I... actually like the design shift but idk, I'm not blessed with those artsy eyes hahaha.

What are your opinions?

 

[Sheep]

Interesting image! I didn't think of this at all. Definitely prefer the simpler, more rounded and cute Pokémon they've been introducing. More sharp and detailed are definitely not my thing, going by the examples. ): I do adore small and cute things though, so my taste could be very different from some others.

 

[hotsushi-kun]

These designs look really nice, if only Game Freak had done this in the first place.

 

[bobandbill]

I probably prefer the choices done for each Pokemon in the first place. Maybe I'm just too used to them? But some like new!Vulpix look bad to me. =(

 

[Palamon]

Krabby looks absolutely terrifying in the newer art design, and I'm honestly glad it doesn't actually look like that now. I'm really glad we got the Pokemon designs we did, I'm really not liking the design switch for any of those Pokemon showcased...

 

[Fairy]

Huh, this is really interesting! When you look at it like that the differences become pretty clear.

I tend to like the more cute, rounded Pokémon anyway, so I can't say I don't like the overall style change. To me there's a lot of appeal in a more simplistic design and I'm a big believer of less is more. All that said, the recent Pokémon who are designed to be sharp and angular definitely go above and beyond to fulfill that role, imo.

 

[colours]

I'm not a designer or anything like that, but I will say that I favour the more cuter designs a lot more, and pretty much always have.

 

[Ninetales]

While I love the cute and simplistic designs, I particularly prefer more heavily detailed, intricate pokemon designs a bit more!

 

[alisaie]

Pidgey in the newer style is extremely cute and must now be protected. Krabby and Vulpix though idk I prefer (at least from the examples above ofc) the older designs. Vulpix moreso than Krabby.

Overall though I'm also more of a fan of the more cutesy designed Pokemon rather than the more intricate ones. Like overall all the cutesy ones in the example look better than the three later generation Pokemon in the more intricate style.

 

[EmTheGhost]

Pictures like these are so interesting - I can really imagine all of these in their respective switched generations. (Why does Zorua use what appears to be artwork from the anime, though? All the others on the left side use the official Sugimori art.)

 

[Raicheot]

I am a big fan of the older more detailed style, Zorua and crabrawler look way better when switched to the older style, I think it would give the game more of and edgier feel which I think the modern games lack

 

[LusoTrainer]

Pokémon designs have gone downhill from the start. One of the reasons I'm not really interested in anything introduced after Johto...

 

[Pokedigifan1178]

Pokémon designs have gone downhill from the start. One of the reasons I'm not really interested in anything introduced after Johto...

don't forget how they say each new gen pokemon looks like a digimon.

which makes no sense

 

[Fairy]

Some newer designs definitely aren't the most inventive, but I think people tend to view them with some bias nostalgia glasses. Both new and old designs look well done, and the art itself has improved over time imo. I mean, it's been what, 15+ years since R/S/E was released? Doesn't that include them into the pantheon of 'vintage' Pokemon designs?

 

[LusoTrainer]

don't forget how they say each new gen pokemon looks like a digimon.

A lot of them do. If back in 1999 you had shown me a picture of (for example) Blaziken and told me to guess if it was a Pokémon or a Digimon, I wouldn't have hesitated to say the latter.

Not only the designs themselves have changed substantially, but the aesthetic and approach has changed as well. I mean, that's undeniable, irrespective of tastes. You can easily see that with new Pokémon that are similar to old ones.

 

[Taemin]

What I loved about the original Pokemon was that they looked somewhat closer to real animals, and weren't quite so many outlandish colors. A lot of them nowadays kinda look like balloon animals and aren't always as visually appealing to me personally. Though, they do still come up with cool ones - like others have said, though, they look kinda more like Digimon than Pokemon, haha.

 

[Pokedigifan1178]

A lot of them do. If back in 1999 you had shown me a picture of (for example) Blaziken and told me to guess if it was a Pokémon or a Digimon, I wouldn't have hesitated to say the latter.

Not only the designs themselves have changed substantially, but the aesthetic and approach has changed as well. I mean, that's undeniable, irrespective of tastes. You can easily see that with new Pokémon that are similar to old ones.

i heard theres a theory going on about how pokemon is slowly starting to become the very thing it hated. aka digimon.

it started with designs and then mega evolution.

and now possibly armor evolution.

its just a theory but still. its possible pokemon is becoming digimon.

the new designs could possibly be why pokemon kinda has lost its charm.