Pokemon Pokemon Style Changing, Good Or Bad
- Thread starter Kaiser Dynamo
- Start date
It's obvious that legendaries will be more complex than other Pokemon. While I think the progression of "details" and "complexity" is debatable, I think we can all agree that with every generation, there are some style changes. With Gen 5, there are definately fresh, modern ideas. However I think (with the exception of a few) every Polemon we have is a nice addition. I look forward to future styles and influences for Pokemon.
Honestly, I think the whole Pokemon art-style is still relatively simple. The designs that look complex are probably based off of real-life imagery in nature or culture, and then there are still the really simple designs, even in gen 5! Such as Solosis line, Darmanitan, Scrafty...
Yeah, I really think Pokemon is still a more simple design than most people on this thread are suggesting.
Yeah, I really think Pokemon is still a more simple design than most people on this thread are suggesting.
I honestly don't think the styles are even changing much. There's been detailed Pokemon in gen 1, and simple Pokemon in gen 5. I gotta say I like the more simplistic Pokemon, though, because they tend to be the cuter ones which I attach to more often(Pikachu, Skitty, Vulpix, etc.). But I still love a few complex Pokemon. They give me challanges to draw :3 (Reshiram, Serperior[kinda], Mandibuzz, Aggron, more etc.).
IMO I feel like the pokemon are getting spikier or have armor. Yeah every gen has those complex looking ones, but to me I feel like in BW there are a lot more complex ones than normal. I still love them though 
The simple cute ones are always my favorite however! I noticed every gen theres a pikachu-like critter I always end up falling madly in love with!!!
oh hey I guess pikachu is getting skinnier and more bunny-like every gen :/ I miss him being FAT FAT FAT FAT!!!! >:3 I guess he is still a lil chunky in the game sprites but in the show he is like, so skinny! But his ears got fatter, lol. I love how oroginally before the show pikachu used to have like a belly like raichu. lol, I will always remember that!! I am loving how the sprite art has changed since then too, so detailed. I am loving the new sugimori art too!!! I love the first gen art more but I love how there is more detailed shading and coloring in the newer art ^-^
The simple cute ones are always my favorite however! I noticed every gen theres a pikachu-like critter I always end up falling madly in love with!!!Kanto
Johto
Hoenn
Sinnoh
Unova
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
If there is a gen 6 and no pikachu-like pokemon, then I will complain!!!!
Johto
Hoenn
Sinnoh
Unova
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
If there is a gen 6 and no pikachu-like pokemon, then I will complain!!!!
oh hey I guess pikachu is getting skinnier and more bunny-like every gen :/ I miss him being FAT FAT FAT FAT!!!! >:3 I guess he is still a lil chunky in the game sprites
but in the show he is like, so skinny! But his ears got fatter, lol. I love how oroginally before the show pikachu used to have like a belly like raichu. lol, I will always remember that!! I am loving how the sprite art has changed since then too, so detailed. I am loving the new sugimori art too!!! I love the first gen art more but I love how there is more detailed shading and coloring in the newer art ^-^Then: Basic, but cool!
Now: awesome details!!!!!
Now: awesome details!!!!!
I
Incinermyn
I got into Pokemon during the second generation and it was, in part, because the first gen designs just seemed bland and tasteless. To be honest, I've had nothing but praise for most of the design changes and refining that have been going on over the past few gens, and probably wouldn't have stayed with the series this long if they kept replicating the same type of character styles that they had in previous the gens.
Yeah definitely the plot in the games are sooooo much more awesome!!! ^-^ I love how cute the first gen pokemon were though, always gonna love em :3 heeeheee gyarados is so cute! I guess they are more complex looking because over the years pokemon battles have been more complex with new abilities, natures, more stat differences, more strategy types, etc.
As time progresses so will the designs of the Pokemon. New designers are coming all the time and they have the ability to introduce new designs to the team.
Styles will be changing all the time; some may be good and some may be bad.
Styles will be changing all the time; some may be good and some may be bad.
I will admit some are getting more complex, but the fact that they look more out of the norm is what made Gen 5's pokemon appeal the most to me. I don't think they've had MAJOR changes at all, but if anything they are becoming much more creative/surprising with their designs.
I normally never main a major legendary pokemon as part of a team, but I absolutely love Zekrom.
I normally never main a major legendary pokemon as part of a team, but I absolutely love Zekrom.
I'd much rather the original designs rather than the newer ones. But maybe that's because I grew up with the original 2 gens. Also, IMO, the Pokemon are getting more cartoony.
I remember that chubby Pikachu. Looking at Atsuko Nishida's own drawings of Pikachu though, it looks like the official art is actually coming closer to how she had intended. (Contrary to belief, Nishida is Pikachu's original designer, not Ken Sugimori. Sugimori just redrew Pikachu for the official artwork.)
Speaking of which, any thoughts on the human characters' designs? I noticed that the outfits have been getting more SF-like. The original two generations had pretty normal outfits, most people having plain clothes or traditional clothes. Giovanni, being the head of a crime syndicate, wore a black business suit, for instance, and besides Misty's side-ponytail, there was nothing too unusual. Now, we got Iris, whose hair must weigh more than the rest of her, and Ghetsis, who wouldn't look out of place in a more traditional JRPG like something from Namco or Square-Enix. I have no complaints about this though--if anything, I like that Sugimori (who DOES do many human characters) is now doing a lot of designs he wanted to do--after all, look to the Pokémon movies for the truly bizarre outfits. Infi's concrete dress, anyone?
That picture of May also reminds me of something:
She looks WAYYY older than 10. Or even 12. I'm glad they're making the female characters either resemble something closer to their age (Dawn) or bringing up their age to something more probable (Hilda). That being said, I think the character designers realized early on that May is overly curvy for someone her age, and images of her, both in the anime and in the video games, had portrayed her flatter and flatter (though still with those child-rearing hips for a while) as the 3rd generation went on. That image has Jirachi in it though, so it had to have been pretty far into the generation. Maybe Sugimori just likes busty tweens.
Speaking of which, any thoughts on the human characters' designs? I noticed that the outfits have been getting more SF-like. The original two generations had pretty normal outfits, most people having plain clothes or traditional clothes. Giovanni, being the head of a crime syndicate, wore a black business suit, for instance, and besides Misty's side-ponytail, there was nothing too unusual. Now, we got Iris, whose hair must weigh more than the rest of her, and Ghetsis, who wouldn't look out of place in a more traditional JRPG like something from Namco or Square-Enix. I have no complaints about this though--if anything, I like that Sugimori (who DOES do many human characters) is now doing a lot of designs he wanted to do--after all, look to the Pokémon movies for the truly bizarre outfits. Infi's concrete dress, anyone?
That picture of May also reminds me of something:
She looks WAYYY older than 10. Or even 12. I'm glad they're making the female characters either resemble something closer to their age (Dawn) or bringing up their age to something more probable (Hilda). That being said, I think the character designers realized early on that May is overly curvy for someone her age, and images of her, both in the anime and in the video games, had portrayed her flatter and flatter (though still with those child-rearing hips for a while) as the 3rd generation went on. That image has Jirachi in it though, so it had to have been pretty far into the generation. Maybe Sugimori just likes busty tweens.