Thoughts on Pokemon fusion?

[Phosphene]

I was inspired to make this thread after seeing some discussion about a fusion mechanic in gen 9 in another thread. Hopefully there isn't already another thread on fusion. Anyways, I'm curious to see the forum's general perception on the way fusion is currently handled in Pokemon with Kyurem and Necrozema, as well as everyone's thoughts on a more expanded fusion mechanic that's perhaps more in the style of something like this (or the various fanart of fused Pokemon) where it's just more than a few legendaries being fused. Do you like the mechanic? Would you want to see it expanded on? Should fusion be for legendary Pokemon only? What are your grievances with the mechanic, if you have any? Would you change anything regarding fusion as it currently stands in Pokemon, or, at least the core games?

 

[Poke Dragon]

What I would change regarding fusions is to allow triple way fusions. Other than that, I love the mechanic as it is.

 

[prog rocker]

I think it should only apply to Legendaries. Maybe it's because I'm reminded of some abominations from Monster Rancher (Suezo/Naga is creepy)... but also because I feel the only Pokémon that actually needs a fusion is Kyurem. Maybe the Time/Space trio too so you can have a real version of the Eterna statue.

 

[Poke Dragon]

I'm completely fine if it was just for legendaries as well. But I also wouldn't mind for some others like a Ninjask+Shedinja fusion.

 

[Emmy]

I would prefer it remains limited to contextual Legendaries. There are far too many variables to account for - the biggest being the sheer number of Pokémon now which causes logistical problems in how you would try to implement the mechanism on a larger scale than merely a handful of Legendaries. I just can't not see it endly badly as a really tacky gimmick not unlike Cara Liss' fused fossil monstrosities.

 

[Poke Dragon]

Now that I think about it, if the fusion is just limited to legendaries, then they actually keep it for the next games they can be transferred or be caught in. So just for the sake of being able to keep fusing, then keep limiting it to legendaries.

 

[Peridorito]

I think it should remain limited to specific Pokémon, but I'd be fine if future games introduced some non-legendaries that could fuse too.

 

[RK9]

We Yu-Gi-Oh! now boys.

 

[Matleo]

that fussion in past was fusion via of energies ... Kyruem changed form via fusing with energy only...

a real fusion of two pokemon would be cool as a new mechanic making it maybe a mega or something new? similar like in dragon ball but for a amount of 3 turns? in double battles would be cool, funny in single if you would fuse your pokemon with oponents causing oponent to lose 3 turns of his pokemon and to switch a new one out...

with stats maybe higher then megas??? instead +100 BST maybe 150bst or 200 ??? pokemon with similar stats would need to fuse together....

after faiting both pokemon would defuse and faint, if defuse before , the hp would be the % the fusion lost?

a new generation with 15 pairs, 30 pokemon able to pull it of maybe even in diffrent configurations? maybe 1 or 2 pairs from each past generation to the mix like plusle and minum and others.

they could create a pair of legendaries that battle together in double and fuse during battle when they want? gaining a new ability via it?
if fusion would take 3 turns or 2 turns then, woder guard dark/ghost anyone????

new starters could fuse to, if they would be dual typed, then we could get 6 different fuse forms for double battles with them....

if they would create a item , move and ability to change a single battle into a double battle when both trainers have more pokemon then ... but not necessary, you could call out the second pokemon for fussion, when it fainst, you lose 2 pokemon... if they fuse back , one gets recalled automatically, the one that was called in the first place... would be a interesting mechanic similar to megas and gigantamax maybe?

 

[Esserise]

I mean it's not really even a mechanic unto itself at the moment, so much as an elaborate version of using a key item to change forms. You go into the bag, press some buttons, and now your Pokémon looks different and has better stats. What's meaningfully different from doing that as opposed to clicking on the Reveal Glass for Landorus?

Thematically, I like both Kyurem and Necrozma, so I guess you could say I like it? But "fusion" is less its own overarching concept and more of a special ability that those two are uniquely able to conduct due to their incomplete biology.

I could certainly see them doing something similar for a non-Legendary gimmick mon or set of gimmick mons (arguably the Galar fossils might already count as an example), which... sure? I don't have anything against that, since that's kind of what gimmick mons are for.

As it all stands, I just don't think the idea of what "Pokémon fusion" is, is defined enough to really have an opinion on it that's not just based on theories or aesthetic preferences. Polling an opinion right now is like going back 5 years and asking "What do you think of giant Pokémon?" or going back 15 years and asking, "What do you think of Pokémon having a fourth-stage evolution?" It's hard to really say until we've seen the precise implementation.

Like, I'd definitely be on-board for "fusion" in the form of hybridization through breeding. That could be a lot of fun, could add a whole new dimension to breeding which has been largely the same since its introduction, and could make organic sense; much in the same way that regional variants play off the real phenomenon of peripatric speciation, this idea could be justified in how real-life animals can crossbreed to produce hybrids like mules and ligers.

the biggest being the sheer number of Pokémon now which causes logistical problems in how you would try to implement the mechanism on a larger scale than merely a handful of Legendaries.

I don't really think that's true. "You could never possibly apply this to all the candidates" wasn't a problem for Mega Evolution, and there's no reason they can't similarly apply an arbitrary limit on the number of Pokémon that are capable of fusing. They can just say "oh these are the species that have been known to possess the Fusion Factor" or something.

 

[Emmy]

I don't really think that's true. "You could never possibly apply this to all the candidates" wasn't a problem for Mega Evolution, and there's no reason they can't similarly apply an arbitrary limit on the number of Pokémon that are capable of fusing. They can just say "oh these are the species that have been known to possess the Fusion Factor" or something.

Good point, well made. When I said that I was under the assumption that this theoretical mechanic was going to be like Dynamax where all Pokémon would have it from the get-go.

Nevertheless, even if they kept it around a similar scale to Mega-Evos (28 at debut I think?) I would still be skeptical of taking sets of two pre-existing Pokémon and having their designs merged without it looking terrible. Instead I think if this mechanic were to exist, I myself would advocate going down the Necrozma route of having a new set of Pokémon that can fuse onto pre-existing ones (sorta similar to the Armour Evolutions in Digimon) to grant them a new form.

 

[Cute Charm]

I'd rather it stay contextual. I mean Kyurem makes sense because it's an incomplete shell of it's former self. It makes sense it would fuse with the more complete halves. Necrosma is some kind of interdimensional darkness parasite. So it makes sense that it "eclipses" the sun and moon. Even the Galarian fossils have a point about being living abominations brought into this world because of an incompetent paleontologist.

If lets say all three starters merge ala Ghastly's illusion in that one episode or if Mr. Cool becomes real. It just wouldn't make sense in context. Like why are these pokemon fusing? Personally, nothing about a frog, turtle, and a dragon fusing or some sort of human-like primate and a jellyfish fusing makes any sense outside of haha funny memes or early anime weirdness.

 

[prog rocker]

I remembered something! In one of the old Gen VIII speculation threads, someone suggested a way fusion could work. Let me look for it...

 

[Glitchipedia]

I'd kind of like it if they reworked the Pokémon merge glitch from Generation I into an official game mechanic. Instead of an equal fusion, you'd have a "recipient" and "donor" Pokémon, with different benefits and drawbacks depending on which Pokémon fills which role (i.e. effects on stat distribution, movepool, etc.). Appearance-wise, it could just be the "recipient" Pokémon with an aura the color of the "donor", or perhaps vice versa depending on the desired effect.

 

[colours]

at least there's decent lore behind kyurem/zekrom/reshiram's fusion as well as necrozma's (to some degree). a fusion mechanic for pokemon that have never possessed it before would come off as half-assed to me. :s game freak could go the way of mega-evolution and say "well, these pokemon have had it all along, it was just recently discovered!" but... really? it was far easier to explain away mega evolution as the inner strength and potential of pokemon, but i can't help but wonder what would make any two pokemon compatible enough for a fusion (assuming this is two different species we're talking about, anyway).

if anything, i like Esserise's idea of hybridization through breeding. i think that'd be an interesting way to change up the breeding mechanic. for existing pokemon though? ... can't say i'd be too much of a fan. maybe i have a hard time imagining how it'd work.

 

[prog rocker]

if anything, i like Esserise's idea of hybridization through breeding. i think that'd be an interesting way to change up the breeding mechanic. for existing pokemon though? ... can't say i'd be too much of a fan. maybe i have a hard time imagining how it'd work.

Doh! That was more or less what I was looking for... without realizing it was already posted here. I think I recall seeing in the post I was going to link an interesting example: breeding a Girafarig with a Blitzle/Zebstrika to get an okapi Pokémon.

 

[Poke Dragon]

Nah, I fully prefer merging two (maybe even three) pre-existing Pokemon rather than hybridization.

 

[colours]

to each their own, but for me, merging pre-existing pokemon makes very little sense whatsoever.

 

[Kallyle]

As an actual mechanic? I don’t know if Game Freak could pull it off in a satisfying and believable way. However, if we got something like the Shellder-Slowpoke relationship as an actual evolution method rather than just flavor text, then that could be pretty neat.

 

[Shib]

I’m not a fan of fusion in the Pokémon games- I don’t want to see it removed from those mons that have it but I really don’t want to see more added, particularly retconning past mons to have fusions.

Some of the fan art of random Pokémon mixed together is quite good, but it’s nice for fan art and not something I’d want to see added in to the games. In the past I liked the idea of cross breeding Pokémon but now I’d only really be happy with that as a way of getting regional variants - e.g. breeding a female Kantonian Vulpix with a compatible male ice type to give a chance of producing an Alolan Vulpix.