A new collection of Pokémon mash-up fan art sees the adorable pocket monsters merged with characters from across the pop-cultural landscape.
Uploaded on Reddit by artist Gabe Rod, the series of images features multiple Pokémon dressing up as iconic superheroes, including Mimikyu as Raven from Teen Titans Go!, Pikachu as Marvel's Doctor Strange, Zubat as DC's Batman and Honchkrow as Fumikage Tokoyami from My Hero Academia. However, not all the mash-ups involve characters from superhero media; Lickilicky dons Buu's outfit from Dragon Ball Z, Pikachu is fused with Assassination Classroom's Korosensei and Alakazam does its best Severus Snape impression. Notably, in one of the pieces, the bulb on Bulbasaur's back has blossomed into a Super Plant monster from Super Mario Bros.
The highly popular Pokémon franchise has always inspired a wealth of fan-made content, and mash-up pieces of fan art featuring the creatures, like Rod's collection, are becoming more and more commonplace. Other recent examples include an illustration that sees the fearsome water Pokémon Gyrados giving Studio Ghibli's Ponyo a ride and a comical image that depicts Magikarp achieving Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
The first video games in the franchise -- Pocket Monsters: Red and Green, which were later rebranded as Pokémon Red and Blue -- were released in 1996. Since then, over 120 games under the Pokémon umbrella have been released and a competitive trading card game. There has also been a wealth of anime series and films, manga, books, toys and other types of merchandise.
There have been numerous recent developments for the Pokémon franchise beyond impressive mash-up fan art, like the announcement of the Lost Origin expansion for the trading card game, which will mark the return of a popular mechanic. Most notably, the newest video games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, are expected to launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch later this year. They will feature the same open-world style of gameplay seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus and a new Spain-inspired region.
Moreover, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will introduce the ninth generation of pocket monsters. The announcement trailer ended with a shot of the new starters, Fuecoco, Sprigatito and Quaxly. The three quickly became the focus of both immense fan excitement and passionate fan speculation, with a particular interest in what the Pokémon will look like in their final evolution.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launch on Nov. 18 exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Many of the Pokémon anime series, including the latest title in the franchise, Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, are available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Reddit