With Pokémon Legends: Z-A releasing in 2025, and the next generation of Pokémon titles strongly rumored for 2026, we may very well see some older creature designs get upgrades. X & Y introduced mega evolutions, Sun & Moon introduced regional variants and Scarlet & Violet introduced paradox forms of some old favorites. The following are ten Pokémon from generations I – III that have not yet gotten the extra love other creatures from the same generations have gotten.
Ekans/Arbok
Considering how frequently Ekans and Arbok appeared throughout both the Kanto and Johto sagas of the anime, it is surprising that the Pokémon have been largely ignored in the games ever since. While most Generation I Pokémon have gotten some new evolutions, regional variants or Dynamax forms, Ekans and Arbok have been repeatedly overlooked. With other snake Pokémon such as Seviper, Serperior and Sandaconda now in the mix, The Pokémon Company should do something to help Ekans and Arbok stand out more. Personally, I would like to see a water type regional variant. This fan art from Instagram user Phatmon is a great example of what that could look like!
Fan art by Phatmon. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Lickitung / Lickilicky
Lickitung and its evolution are based on the Akaname, a Japanese yokai that licks the filth off the walls of bathhouses. The Pokémon were designed much jollier and more rotund than their inspiration, but it would be interesting to see The Pokémon Company revisit the concept and lean more heavily into the Akaname. Tumblr user Cadaver designed a cool-looking ghost type variant of Lickitung.
Fan art by Cadaver. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Pineco/Forretress
Pineco and Forretress being bug types never really made sense. You would expect a pine cone to be a grass type. In 2020, beta designs leaked for a bug Pokémon that looks strikingly like a combination between Pineco and a bagworm. The Pokémon Company must have redesigned it without changing its typing. They should revisit the concept and justify the bug typing by giving Forretress a mega evolution with more bug-like features. This concept art made by Michael Groth gives Forretress more insect qualities.
Fan art by Michael Groth. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Magcargo
The Pokémon Company seems to repeatedly strike out with slug and snail Pokémon. While surely there are some dedicated fans of the Slugma line, I’ve certainly never met anyone who had Slugma or Magcargo on a list of their favorite Pokémon. Plus, the fire/rock typing makes them magnets for critical hits. This evolution drawn by Instagram user SOYALEXALAN looks like it could be a most-welcome fire/dragon alternative!
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Fan art by SOYALEXALAN. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Yanma/Yanmega
There are 18 Pokémon types, meaning there are 324 possible type combinations. With over 1000 species in the Pokémon Universe, you would think we have seen every type combination at least once. However, one combo that has yet to be assigned to any Pokémon is bug/dragon. I’m not the first, nor will I be the last to make this argument, but it is ridiculous that a creature based on a DRAGONFLY does not have this combination. While its Speed Boost ability makes Yanmega a contender, it would be nice to shed that 4x weakness to rock type moves. If only this concept art for a mega evolution of Yanmega by Reddit user islavawet was real.
Fan art by islavawet. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Mightyena
Houndoom was the first dark type dog Pokémon. Then there was Mightyena. Now, with the introduction of Mabosstiff in Generation IX, there are simply too many. There are also ghost, fire, fairy, electric and normal type dog Pokémon. However, we do not yet have a steel type dog. It would be interesting to see a variant or evolution of Mightyena with a steel type. This illustration of a Mightyena evolution from Instagram user Mazon_Fakemon could be a steel type. Considering Ursaring got a werebear-style evolution, this werewolf-style Mightyena evolution seems to be in the realm of possibility!
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Fan art by Mazon Fakemon. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Shiftry
Shiftry is another Pokémon with its design origins based on a yokai. In this case, it is the tengu, a humanoid bird that wears geta on its feet. Combining the tengu with a tree, we got Shiftry. This concept from Phatmon is quite fascinating: what if that tree burned down? If this variant were added, it would be only the second fire/grass type Pokémon after Scovillain.
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Fan art by Phatmon. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Breloom
Breloom has gotten some attention recently for…reasons. Controversial as it may be, Breloom has never hurt anyone and it deserves to escape the curse of being 4x weak to flying type moves. Instagram user FAEKMON designed a fighting/ghost evolution of Breloom which, as Annihilape proves, is a great type combination.
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Fan art by FAEKMON. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Spoink/Grumpig
This might be the most disappointing evolution in all of Pokémon. Spoink bounces on its tail and has a cute crystal ball on its head. It’s a well-designed Pokémon that exaggerates qualities of its base animal and its type perfectly. However, Grumpig is a lot more generic. Deviant Art user ericgl1996 designed a Grumpig evolution that re-adopts the best features Spoink loses when it evolves.
Fan art by ericgl1996. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
Relicanth
Relicanth is based on the coelacanth, a fish that has survived since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Considering the coelacanth is known as a “living fossil,” it would make sense to have a past or future paradox form of Relicanth in a future game. DeviantArt user Dragonith came up with a very clever paradox Relicanth, modeling the Pokémon after a submarine.
Fan art by Dragonith. Pokémon is owned by The Pokémon Company.
What Pokémon do you want to see get a new variant, evolution or paradox form? Let us know in the comments!
See also: The Hardest-to-Pronounce Pokémon Names
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