Evolution of Pokemon Designs

[RemptonGames]

This is my ongoing series where I look at how Pokemon designs change from generation to generation. I started with Gen 1, and so far have made it through the first 3 generations. I will be updating this blog as the series continues (it usually takes me several weeks to post a new entry), but here are the ones I have done so far.







I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Are there any major points that I missed? What are some design trends you have noticed for the upcoming generations that you think I should include? What are your favorite and least favorite generations in terms of design, and why?

 

[Eeveely]

I have to make a comment before watching the vids:
Thay've changed from animals ,humans and popular fantasy creatures, to a whirlpool of Hinduism, buddhism,alchemy, folklore, norse and greek and egyptian mythologies, technology, astronomy, music, physics, jets and everything a human mind might think about.

 

[Enzap]

@RemptonGames I watched your first video and I really like your analysis! Character design is one of my favorite topics to discuss and I've thought about making blogs or articles about the subject myself.

I'd say my one criticism after just watching the one video so far is that you start off by talking about some Pokémon having "good" or "bad" designs, and while I agree 100% with your judgment of those Pokémon since you pointed out my absolute favorite and my absolute least favorite designs from Galar, you never really defined what makes a good or bad design. Maybe you go into that in later videos, but it was an odd start to a video that otherwise was much more objective and analytical.

Keep up the good work, and may the YouTube algorithm smile brightly upon you.

 

[RemptonGames]

Part 4 of this series:

While the majority of the detail is in the video, here are a few of the main points.
Major themes: Legends and Mythology - This generation introduces the creation myths, has more legendary Pokemon than any other before it, and the starters are all legendary themed
Higher level of detail on average - Pokemon this generation tend to be more detailed, and have a higher number of colors
Common details include spikes and stripes
Common colors include grey and mid-tone blues, often with red and yellow accents. More muted pallet overall compared to Gen 3

 

[Nicolas721]

I love this series! It's fun to compare how have the designs evolved through generations. I liked Gen 3's decision to choose contrasting color palettes, the series would have became very repetitive without it. Gen 4's decision of unnecessary details gives me conflicted feelings, because not all the ideas are executed appropriately, I prefer your versions of Ambipom and Purugly. While many Pokémon are great I'm glad they backtracked a bit.

 

[RemptonGames]

Part 5 - Black and White



In this fifth installment we will take a look at the design of Pokemon in Generation 5 - Black and White. As always, I examine the themes of this generation, as well as common design trends among these Pokemon to see how they have changed from previous generations.
Summary of some of the major trends:
Many Pokemon that fill similar roles to previous generations (particularly Gen 1)
Willingness to be a little weirder and goofier than most of the previous generations
Focus on diversity with the human characters - starters represent different cultures
Theme of opposites, truth vs ideals

 

[Nicolas721]

Another trend that you mentioned briefly is the oversimplification. Feral and strong Pokémon tend to have simpler palettes and less details than the ones in Gen 4 (Beartic, Darmanitan) and simplified limbs that even their real-life counterparts don't have (Hydreigon has only one main head and lacks legs, Scolipede only has four legs).

I have always had the theory that Gen 5's initial poor reception was because of how ugly their sprites are, the shading is strange and some colors feel too strong.

 

[RemptonGames]

Part 6 - Pokemon X and Y


Most of the info is in the video, but here is a quick summary
New region is Kalos - based on France, with a theme of beauty
Starter theme is RPG character archetypes
Introduces new fairy type - common features include use of the color pink, association with magic, folklore, and the moon
Introduces Mega Pokemon - often have very complicated, bold designs
Biggest trend is simplification and rounding of designs, including more round edges and simpler eye styles
Move to 3D models resulted in less saturated colors for most Pokemon

 

[Nicolas721]

The new Pokemon who ended up in the Central Kalos Dex are mostly mammals, the ones from Coastal Kalos are reptiles and invertebrates and the ones from Mountain Kalos are mostly magical amorphous creatures.

Color palettes seem sightly more harmonious and elaborated than the ones in Gen 5, and use more unusual hues (Malamar, Tyrantrum, Volcanion, Chesnaught, Gogoat).

Megas are not only about exaggerating a Pokemon's concept, but also about adding hair and mustaches, an strange trend that returned with Alolan forms, Galarian forms and even some Gigantamax forms.

 

[RemptonGames]

This video discusses the design of Pokemon in the generation 7 games, Pokemon Sun and Moon. We discuss the new region, the major themes of these Pokemon, and the common design trends and motifs.

Some of the major themes of these games include evolution (in the real-world science way), invasive species, and alternate dimensions.

Major new additions are the Alolan forms - new forms for generation 1 Pokemon - and the Ultra Beasts.

Alolan forms usually either rounder, simplified versions of the original, or add extra details.

Ultra beasts are invaders from another dimension with very unusual designs for this series

Common trends of the normal Pokemon include bright, tropical colors and elaborate designs.

Enjoy!

 

[RemptonGames]

We made it! Today we finally talk about the most recent games in the series, Pokemon Sword and Shield. As always, we will take a look at the major design trends and themes of this generation, and how the designs have changed from previous generations!

The british influence is strong with this generation - many Pokemon based on British themes, starters all based on British pop-culture, Zacian and Zamazenta inspired by King Arthur legend.

New Galarian forms are different from Alola forms - mainly "darker and edgier" versions of their original forms, with more muted / grayscale color schemes

Gigantimax forms for older Pokemon emphasize size, don't change design much. Gigantimax for newer Pokemon change design much more substantially

Many designs barely change the source material - seem unfinished / missing "Pokemon twist"

Many Pokemon have complicated concepts, and try to convey a lot of ideas with a single design