The Poison-types, Gulpin and Swalot, have been given a new makeover thanks to one creative Pokemon fan that imagined what they would look like as regional forms. While Pokemon Scarlet and Violet continue to reveal new Pokemon ahead of their release next month, this recent artwork featuring Gulpin and Swalot evidences that some fans still have a soft spot for some of the older pocket monsters seen in the franchise.
Gulpin and Swalot were first introduced to the Pokemon series in Gen 3. These pocket monsters are Poison-types, with Swalot being the evolution of Gulpin. With this in mind, these creatures feature a similar bulbous design. However, Gulpin has a green coloration with a feather-like projection on its head, while Swalot is predominantly purple with what appears to be a pair of whiskers. While these are the designs typically associated with the Pokemon, one fan has decided to give their looks a makeover by designing new regional forms.
Known as Haychel on Reddit, this fan recently showed off artwork that gave Gulpin and Swalot new edible appearances. According to the artist, the new regional forms were based on dumplings, and it was not hard to see why, as they shared an incredible similarity with the food. The Pokemon had a light coloration, with their skin appearing soft and nearly see-through. Furthermore, Swalot was made slightly larger and featured a few more details to help differentiate it.
Along with the new appearances of the Pokemon, the image revealed the name of the reigional variants, what Haychel called the “Elysian Form.” This new form reimagined the Pokemon as dual-type with Fire and Fairy typings. In addition, the Reddit user included a picture of the original forms of the two Pokemon in the upper left corner of the image so that fans could easily compare the designs.
Beyond showcasing the designs on Reddit, Haychel gave some added context on the regional forms in the comment section. According to the Pokemon artist, the main influences of these new appearances of Gulpin and Swalot were Prawn and Soup dumplings, which they noted were called “Har Gow” and “Xiao Long Bao.” In addition, the Semi Slug served as an inspiration. Based on the description provided by Haychel, these regional forms featured “stretchy skin” that made consuming large objects much easier. Furthermore, they noted that the Pokemon could spit molten innards as a defense mechanism against predators.
It is worth noting that Haychel has made other impressive fan art featuring pocket monsters. For example, they have previously posted artwork that imagined new regional forms for Tangela and Tangrowth, giving them a seaweed theme. The artist has come up with several concepts for new Pokemon as well. It will be interesting to see what this talented creator makes next now that the regional forms for Gulpin and Swalot are complete.