The Pokemon series now has over 900 Pokemon across eight generations, with the ninth generation, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, set to release on November 18, 2022. While waiting for the next game in the long-running franchise to release, Pokemon fans often imagine what types of Pokemon are going to fill out the Pokedex in the next entry. A Pokemon fan has re-imagined a fan-favorite Pokemon in their fan art, going all the way back to generation two, and this version of Heracross is sure to send a chill down its competitions' spines.
Heracross was introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver back in 1999 and has remained a staple of the series since. Heracross is often referred to as the counterpart to the Pokemon known as Pinsir, who was introduced in the original Pokemon generation. While both of these Pokemon are bug-types, a fan has taken a haunting inspiration for Heracross's imaginative re-design.
Reddit user Tniseraas06 posted their fan art on Reddit and turned the light blue, beetle-looking Pokemon into a much darker creature. Heracross in this design is a much darker blue color and has red and yellow squinted eyes. Finishing off the art is the notable purple ghost-like mist coming out from the creature's ears and surrounding its legs. The design is reminiscent of another classic Pokemon known as Gastly and all of its evolutions.
As the user captions, this design was made purely for fun. Pokemon in the franchise often have multiple types make up a single Pokemon, and the idea that any of these creatures could become a different type is enough to get the imaginations of fans all over the world running wild, especially with one that has been around as long as Heracross has. There are now 18 Pokemon types and mixing and matching them seems to always create interesting Pokemon hybrids. The post on Reddit has over 6,000 upvotes and the comments section is full of positive reactions to the fan art.
The Pokemon series has had creative designs for its creatures for a long time, with some standing out more than others, like series icon Pikachu. There are actually unused combinations of Pokemon types still, so a bug-type crossing over with a ghost-type isn't as far-fetched as it may appear at first glance. In fact, Shedinja, who debuted in generation three is actually a bug/ghost-type. There will also be a poison/steel-type for the first time ever in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. As new generations release, unique ideas for Pokemon keep coming, and this fan art uses a legacy Pokemon to give fans a glimpse of what could be in store in the future.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release on November 18 for Switch.