Gender Differences among Pokemon

[winstein]

Before Generation 4, gendered Pokemon tend to look the same, save for a few Pokemon who are considered different species, even though their breeding properties meant that they are technically the same species. What I mean is, the Nidoran (Male) and Nidoran (Female) are different species, but they can produce offspring of either.

In Generation 4, we are introduced to a greater degree of gender differences to old and current Pokemon, mainly to show that technology has improved in such a way that more detail can be shown. The most prominent example is Pikachu's tail: males are the traditional ones, while females have a heart-shaped tip. Newer Pokemon like Hippopotas and Hippowdon also had differences, this time it's their colour.

However, the gender differences are toned down starting from Generation 5, in which there are only 3 Pokemon with them: Unfezant, Frillish and Jellicent. Unlike the previous Pokemon, their differences are very noticeable that you don't need to see them side-by-side to acknowledge them. Moving forward to Generation 6, we have another 2 more Pokemon, one being Pyroar and the other being Meowstic, the latter even having different movepools and abilities that they are considered distinct in more than one way.

Here we are in Generation 7, where the idea of gender differences are noticeably absent.

Would you like to see more Pokemon with gender differences, and if you do, how much of a difference should there be?

Thanks for reading.

 

[MegaPod]

I liked the concept of gender differences in Pokémon when Gen IV came around. I like how female Venusaur now have a seed visible in their flower, for instance. I would like to see more gender differences in Pokémon. Hopefully not ones that I can't really spot well, though, like Scizor or Croagunk's.

 

[Peekaboo Pikachu]

I think that gender differences between Pokemon are really neat; I would like to see more of them in the future even if it's something subtle like Pikachu's tail... Or Wobuffet's lipstick.

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

I loved the concept as it mimicked real world dimorphism of animals, but I guess Game Freak doesn't want to take the time to make two models of the same Pokemon with minor gender differences. If there are Pokemon with gender differences, I only see them creating them with major changes like Pyroar or Unfezant.

 

[BorgyDudeMan]

I like the idea of gender differences. It makes the Pokémon world much more realistic by implementing sexual dimorphism into the Pokémon world.

 

[winstein]

I loved the concept as it mimicked real world dimorphism of animals, but I guess Game Freak doesn't want to take the time to make two models of the same Pokemon with minor gender differences. If there are Pokemon with gender differences, I only see them creating them with major changes like Pyroar or Unfezant.

Yes, this is a good point. It takes less effort to create the art for gender differences in Generation 4, so I can see how this is true. I imagine that by Generation 5, they realised the effort required to do it, so they scaled it back in preparation to their first 3D outing.

I wonder if colour differences would even be considered in the future since it's probably the easiest way to change a model. As of now, Hippopotas and Hippowdon are the only Pokemon that's strictly colour-only difference (Frillish and Jellicent too, but they have more differences than colour).

Thanks for reading.

 

[MegaPod]

I thought Gyarados' gender differences were color-only too, with its whiskers?

 

[winstein]

I thought Gyarados' gender differences were color-only too, with its whiskers?

Yes, that's right. I didn't ever realise this because it's so subtle. On that note, Wobbuffet is also the same, though not to the same extent (lipstick is flat, from what I see).

My main point is that the Hippos are colour-based that you can notice it straight away, so for example, bird Pokemon could do the same since birds are one of the most notable animals with colour differences between sexes.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Sakuraa]

I definitely want to see more Pokemon with gender differences. It's one of my favorite elements they've added to the series. I was so disappointed to see that not a single new Pokemon had any gender differences in Gen 7. I hope they'll add a lot in Gen 8, whether it's through retconning older Pokemon or introducing new ones, I just want more.

 

[DoctorWhy]

I'd love to see a lot more gender differences, small and large.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

The way I see it, gender differences are just another generational gimmick they introduce for every new generation and then drop the focus in the next. They've done this with time (they reintroduced this starting in Gen 4, but they still don't take full advantage of it like they did with Gen 2), contests, seasons, Mega Pokemon, and I can guarantee you that the next generation won't have a heavy focus on Z-Attacks, possibly even trials too.

I mean I love gender differences, but it's clear that it was just a neat little feature they introduced for the one generation and don't have any interest in expanding it further. I'm not going to hold my breath for it.

 

[Soki]

I'd love to see more gender differences, more diversity in appearances is always good imo. I like the more noticable differences more, though they don't have to be as huge as with Meowstic. Just stuff like female Sneasel having a shorter ear feather is good enough for me. And it definitely doesn't have to be done for every Pokémon, as not all animals in real life have gender differences going on either.

But a total of 5 for the last three gens is really lacking :/

 

[Silktree]

They've done this with time (they reintroduced this starting in Gen 4, but they still don't take full advantage of it like they did with Gen 2)

But SM make about as much use of the time of day as the Johto games did. Not so with the day of the week, though.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

They could make a Pokémon that even has two different shapes depending on gender! The females are big, bipedal, muscly, and somewhat curvy looking, while the males are small and less detailed and quadrupedal.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

But SM make about as much use of the time of day as the Johto games did. Not so with the day of the week, though.

Yes, the games do still utilize time, but I'm saying not to the extent that the Johto games did. Aside from the weekly events, Gen 2 also had Pokemon that were either diurnal or nocturnal in that they would only appear at certain times. In subsequent games, they don't play off of that, or at least not nearly as much. Time was severely watered down in Gen 3, and it only saw a proper return because of fan demand. When you look at how time was treated in Gen 3 after Gen 2, it was most definitely a generational gimmick.

Besides, I'm not talking time exclusively here. There have been other features introduced in past generations, only to be dropped in the next or kept but not expanded on. I still remember the time someone argued with me because I said that Gen 7 wouldn't introduce new Mega Pokemon. Now look what happened. There's no new Mega Pokemon and the stones are either post-game or have to be received with a code.

This is why I don't hold my breath for certain features to return. They're just a selling point to draw attention to the current generation, then they move on. Gender differences are another one.

 

[Silktree]

Just saying, but DPPt and SM do have some diurnal and nocturnal critters.

I think it's possible for gender differences to be expanded for DP remakes.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

I think each gen will introduce some gender differences in some way. Solgaleo and Lunaala are technically gender counterparts, and only female Salandit evolve into Salazzle.

 

[Cresselia92]

Yes, I definitely would like to see more gender differences, even if subtle. It helps make the world more varied and is a neat reference to real world dimorphism, so I would be all for that.

 

[Harryghost]

Honestly the concept of gender differences is one of my favourite mechanics in Pokémon, and it's a shame that we did not get any new Pokémon with gender differences in Generation 7. *sighs* Well, maybe in USUM or Gen VIII.