A Pokemon fan who seems to have a soft spot for the Generation 5 titles and the new Pokemon they introduced has designed and drawn their own concepts for what Oshawott, Tepig, and Snivy might look like if their types were swapped around. Starter Pokemon have been a key part of the Pokemon formula since the very first games in the franchise, and it's not uncommon to see fans and artists focusing their creative efforts on drawing, redesigning, and recoloring the many different fan-favorite starter Pokemon.
As nearly anyone who's played a Pokemon game will know, starter Pokemon consist of three different Pokemon that players can choose from as their first companion to help get them started on their adventure in each game. While each of the many regions in the Pokemon world offers a different trio of starters to choose from, one thing they all have in common is the types that they have. Almost every core-series Pokemon title allows Trainers to choose between either a Grass-type, Water-type, or Fire-type starter Pokemon, with each type having its own strengths and weaknesses and therefore having their own role in the type-matchup system seen throughout the games.
Imagining some fan-favorite Pokemon having different typings has been a hobby of creative Pokemon fans for decades, and one artist recently shared their interpretation of what the Generation 5 starters in particular might look like if their types were swapped around. The artist, known as Starlined_ on Reddit, shared their art on the site which reimagines the Water-type Oshawott, Grass-type Snivy, and Fire-type Tepig with different designs that would suit their alternate typings. In their artwork, Oshawott can be seen with a coat of green grass and leaves, whereas Snivy is depicted to have a flaming tail and Tepig is shown with a mixture of darker blue colors to suit a potential Water-typing. Other fans in the comments even furthered these concepts by offering names for the reimagined Pokemon and their evolved forms which would better tailor to their new typings.
It feels like starter Pokemon have been more of a controversial subject among fans over the past few years, with the three starter Pokemon seen in Pokemon Sword and Shield's Galar region receiving criticism from some fans due to their unusually human-like features. That said, the latest starters seen in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet appear to have been received better by fans, with Fuecoco becoming an overwhelmingly popular choice among players.
With more than 25 starter Pokemon across all the games, it's no surprise that there's so much friendly debate among fans over which are the best ones. Every Pokemon is a favorite for someone, and almost every one of them continues to spark new creative projects to this day.