Pokémon is a series that’s managed to tap into unforeseen levels of popularity and it’s helped the franchise grow in exciting ways over the years. The series has had a lot of success with the creation of fresh Pokémon as trainers explore new regions from the world. However, recent entries have found other ways to play with expectations.
The Galar region from the new Pokémon Sword & Shield titles feature new regional forms for classic Pokémon, in addition to brand new creatures. It’s a fun, inventive idea that was started in Alola and it’s left the audience anxious for more regional forms that can remix old favorites or creatures that never got a fair shot in the past.
10 Mewtwo Is Ready For Reinvention
Mewtwo has been around since the earliest Pokémon titles and he’s been the subject matter of several of Pokémon’s more pivotal feature films. Stronger Legendary Pokémon have come around, but Mewtwo stands out for how he’s the product of genetic tampering, which has set him on a path where he resents both man and Pokémon. The idea of another version of Mewtwo would be fascinating and it’s something that would be plausible through a different set of experiments. Sword and Shield showed that regional variants on Legendary Pokémon are possible, so there’s no reason why Mewtwo would be off-limits.
9 Bulbasaur Is A Starter Pokémon Worthy Of Another Chance
There have yet to be any regional variants for any of the Starter Pokémon, which is understandable to some extent because of how iconic they all are. However, for these same reasons, it’d be exciting to see what a different version of these classic Pokémon would look like. It’s easy to picture a Bulbasaur from a new region that has other plant-like appendages beyond vines or possibly blooms a different flower on its back. Regional variants of any of the Starter Pokémon would be a lot of fun, but it feels like Bulbasaur has some of the most potential.
8 There Are Other Languages To Explore With Unown
Unown is a controversial Pokémon that’s introduced in Generation II and is so unusual that it’s also the focus of one of the earlier Pokémon feature films. Unown stands out for how there are over two-dozen versions of the Pokémon that reflect different letters of the alphabet.
It’s not the most useful Pokémon and the concept is more interesting than the Pokémon itself. For this reason, it’d be worthwhile to rebrand Unown through a new region, whether it approaches a different alphabet or tackles a whole other system, like numbers instead of letters.
7 Alakazam Could Return To The Pokémon World In A Big Way
Alakazam is an incredibly powerful Psychic-type Pokémon that was one of the biggest threats back in the earliest titles. However, unusual lawsuits led to Alakazam’s character essentially being taken off the table and it didn’t appear in the anime for well over a decade. This situation has recently subsided and so it’s likely that Alakazam is bound to return to Pokémon in a big way. It’d make an even larger impact if Alakazam could also get a new regional variant and there are plenty of directions to take the character, like the spoons that it holds.
6 A Unique Fossil Could Yield A Whole New Aerodactyl
A particularly fascinating concept within the Pokémon world is that there are ancient Pokémon that have been preserved as fossils, which can then be reawakened in modern times. This creates some Pokémon that are both rare and powerful, but it makes a lot of sense for a Fossil Pokémon to have a regional variant. A different fossil from a different region could get discovered that produces a whole different variety of Aerodactyl. There are other flying dinosaurs to draw inspiration from and it’d help a classic Pokémon feel important again.
5 Jynx Could Be Glamorous In A Totally Different Way
Jynx has been a controversial Generation I Pokémon with its connection to blackface, and it’s received revisions over the years to make the good-intentioned Pokémon more harmless. Despite these changes, Jynx has still largely faded to obscurity, which is a shame because there is potential in the Pokémon even if it is a weird creature.
A regional variant would be a strong way to reinvent the character and take it somewhere new. There has been a Galarian Mr. Mime that takes some bold swings, so a similar approach could be taken with Jynx to help the character reclaim its power.
4 Chandelure Is A Ghost Pokémon That Deserves Some Variety
Ghost Pokémon are a truly compelling breed of Pokémon, with some of these creatures skewing towards horror and others representing more poetic ideas. There’s a lot of mystery that surrounds Ghost-type Pokémon and there have yet to be any regional variants of them yet. Accordingly, any Ghost-type variant would be satisfying, but Chandelure has a design that could go in many different directions. It could become a different type of ghostly chandelier, or turn into something different like a lamppost or lighthouse. It’s also sensible that ghosts from different regions would manifest in unique ways.
3 A Regional Dragon Variant Would Be Most Exciting With Dragonite
Dragon Pokémon make up some of the most interesting and dangerous Pokémon from the series. These types of Pokémon used to be quite rare, but they’ve become increasingly popular, although many of the more recent designs come upon diminishing returns. Dragonite is one of the very first Dragon-type Pokémon and it’s even now in Ash’s party in the current anime series. Dragonite’s look is very simple and traditional, so an update would go a long way and it wouldn’t even need to be that drastic. It’s a strong Pokémon that has never felt like it’s properly gotten its due.
2 A Different Version Of Lucario Could Show The Versatility Of A Good Fighter
Lucario has become a very popular Pokémon thanks to how it’s been a vital part of Ash’s Pokémon party as well as serving significant roles in fighting titles like Super Smash Bros and Pokken Tournament. A Mega Lucario form has been introduced, but it feels like a natural extension to Lucario's design rather than pushing Lucario in a totally different direction, like retaining its Fighting-type nature, but swapping Steel with something else. A normal Lucario has a great capacity to adapt and so a regional variant that applies that principle in a unique way would be very satisfying.
1 Pikachu Is A Classic Pokémon That Everyone Wants More Of
Pikachu is arguably the most popular Pokémon and the series was wise to make Pikachu the franchise’s de facto mascot. Pikachu’s popularity and the cute nature of the character have resulted in several Pokémon that are shameless Pikachu clones, even if they’re not directly in the Pokémon’s evolutionary line. It seems like the series is always looking for ways to come up with more Pikachus and a regional variant is the perfect solution. There has already been an Alolan Raichu, which Pikachu could take its cues from, or it could go off in a totally different direction.