New forms are one of the most common types of Pokemon fan art. While some will create fan-made regional variants or evolutions for older Pokemon, some instead design entirely new mega evolutions or Gigantamax forms for Pokemon who never received one in the official Pokemon games.
Introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Dynamax and Gigantamax is a special transformation unique to the game's setting of the Galar region. This phenomenon will result in any Pokemon growing to the size of buildings and gaining access to stronger attacks. While any Pokemon can Dynamax, Gigantamax is a specific transformation only certain Pokemon, such as the Water/Ice-type Pokemon Lapras, can undergo where both its size and appearance change.
A Reddit user by the name of T-Ace Juice designed their own interpretation of what a Gigantamax form for Swampert would look like. Swampert was introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, obtainable as one of three starter Pokemon for the player's use. In line with the other Gigantamax forms introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, T-Ace Juice doesn't change too much about Swampert's core design, rather making its main features more exaggerated. The large orange spikes on Swampert's face are made far sharper while its head fins grow and spread along the Pokemon's back.
Swampert's Gigantamax form also grows its tail-fin into a fully formed tail with the fin surrounding it. While this is the most recent piece of T-Ace Juice fan art, they have created several pieces of Pokemon fan art in the past. This would include fan art of Chesnaught from Pokemon X and Y. Another franchise T-Ace Juice produces fan art for is the Digimon series.
Fans have debated many aspects of Pokemon Sword and Shield, with Dynamax/Gigantamax being one of them. While some enjoy the new mechanic for its competitive use, others prefer mega evolutions as they lasted the entire battle while Dynamax/Gigantamax expires after three turns. One thing fans do seem to enjoy about both mega evolutions and Gigantamax is the form-changing nature of these abilities. This may be why designing fan original new forms for Pokemon has become popular, as the change in appearance can breathe new life into a classic design.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to most likely introduce a new battle mechanic into the series. While fans have no indication as to what this possible new gimmick could be, some hope to see the exciting change in design that Gigantamax forms brought.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release on November 18th,2022 on Nintendo Switch