With the release ofPokemon Scarlet & Violetin late 2022 came thelong-running video game franchise’s one-thousandth Pokemon. It has taken more than a quarter of a century to reach this impressive milestone, though some fans will perhaps argue that a lot of the newer Pokemon designs are nowhere near as good as the ones which came before them. Of course, when a series has been going for as long asPokemonhas, it’s perhaps to be expected that standards might drop a little over time.
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As recent generations ofPokemongames have demonstrated though, new Pokemon aren’t the only way to freshen up the series' ever-expanding roster. Regional forms allow the developers to build upon some of the many great designs from the earlier games, while also playing around with their stats and elemental types in order to transform the way that they perform in battle. There are 59 regional variants in total, with certain Pokemon like Meowth, Tauros, and Darmanitan having multiple regional forms.
Alolan Marowak
Regional variants were first introduced in the Gen 7PokemongamesSun & Moon. There were eighteen Alolan Pokemon in total, with most of the designs aiming to capture the Hawaiian theme of the games. Needless to say, some worked much better than others.
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The designs of Alolan Exeggutor and Alolan Dugtrio were ridiculed by many series fans, yet some of thenew type combinationsended up working surprisingly well. Alolan Ninetails was particularly useful in this regard, as too were the likes of Alolan Raichu and Alolan Marowak.
Galarian Moltres
Galarian Slowking
Pokemon Sword & Shieldpicked up right where their predecessors left off, with the games introducing 20 new Galarian Pokemon for players to enjoy. This time around, however, the developers opted not to focus so heavily on Gen 1 Pokemon, much to the delight of many fans.
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Why exactly Meowth needed another regional form is anybody’s guess, but that’s not to say that there weren’t still plenty of great Galarian Pokemon for players to add to their teams. Gen 8 also saw the firstregional variants of Legendary Pokemon, with Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres all making their debuts in the games.
Hisuian Avalugg
Hisuian Decidueye
Pokemon Legends: Arceusbrought with it 17 new regional variants, including new forms for the final evolutions of the game’s three starters. This actually came as a welcome surprise to many players, as the developers somehow managed to do a fairly decent job of hiding it prior to the game’s release.
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Legends: Arceusplaces much less of an emphasis on Gen 1 thanSun & MoonandSword & Shield, with only four of the original 151 Pokemon being treated to Hisuian forms. That said, many considerHisuian Growlithe and Arcanineto be among the best of the game’s regional variants, along with Steel/Dragon-type Hisuian Goodra.
Paldean Tauros (Aqua Breed)
Paldean Wooper
Given how many Alolan, Galarian, and Hisuian Pokemon there are, many fans were incredibly disappointed with whatPokemon Scarlet & Violethad to offer. At the time of writing, there are just four Paldean Pokemon, three of which are just slightly different versions of the same Pokemon.
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As a result, many fans are now hoping that new Paldean variants will be introduced through DLC, in much the same way that new and returning Pokemon were added toSword & Shieldthrough the Isle of Armor andCrown Tundraexpansions. Whether or not this will actually happen though remains to be seen.
