Pikachu is perhaps one of the most iconic mascots in the gaming industry today. The Electric-type mouse Pokemon has been prominent in video games, anime, spin-offs, promotions, and even has a Detective Pikachu movie currently being filmed. With all of these manifestations, it’s no surprise that the pocket monster has had several forms – Pichu, Raichu, Alolan Raichu – but it may be a real shock that the adorable mascot originally had a terrifying evolution after Raichu.

This news was revealed by Pikachu’s original illustrator Atsuko Nishida and original Pokemon designer Ken Sugimori in a recent interview by Yomiuri, a Japanese newspaper. During this, Nishida stated that Pikachu’s second evolution was originally called Gorochu, but it was cut from Pokemon for balance reasons, not its appearance.

In each form, the name uses “Chu” to simulate a mouse-like noise, with “Rai” coming from the word for thunder. “Goro” describes a rumbling sound, perhaps amplifying the thunderous implications of the final evolution. The most disturbing reveal is that, according to Nishida, “The Pokemon known as Gorochu bared fangs and even had a pair of horns.”

Unfortunately, there has never been any artwork released on this final form, but it sounds like a nightmarish mixture of Raticate and Raichu. It does seem like Gorochu was scrapped long before the original Pokemon Red and Blue released, which is a relief because Gorochu may have made Red a much harder boss encounter in Pokemon Gold and Silver (if he ever evolved Pikachu.)

While it would be interesting to see Gorochu, it’s worth mentioning that its inception was over 22 years ago. In other words, Gorochu is a thing of the past. The game has long since evolved, and with Pokemon for Switch potentially kicking off Gen 8, it doesn’t seem likely we will ever see Gorochu in-game, which may not be a bad thing.

Pokemon for Switch currently does not have a confirmed title or release date.

Source: Yomiuri (via Siliconera)