The popularity of Nintendo's creature-collecting RPG series Pokemon is awe-inspiring to think about. In 2019, it was reported that Pokemon is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, above juggernauts like Hello Kitty, Star Wars, and fellow Nintendo property Super Mario. Many fans show their affection for the series by drawing fan art, with one popular subset being Pokemon fusions.
Pokefusions take different forms, most notably AI-generated spliced sprite art from older titles and the incredible Pokefusion drawings that artists create based on them. Reddit user WowPokefusions takes a different approach by creating their own custom fusion sprites, such as a Kelpie-inspired mix of a Rapidash and Milotic uploaded to the r/pokemon subreddit today.
Deemed "Milodash" by a fan in the comments and picked up by the artist, this custom Pokemon has a lot of attention paid to the curling tail that has a fire-shaped pattern of Milotic scales meant to replicate Rapidash's original look. WowPokefusions says they would love to see a mermaid horse Pokemon actually appear in a future game, and puts out a small request to Game Freak that they should hire the artist if they want to make fusions relevant to non-Legendary monsters in the future.
Fusion most prominently appeared in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, where the box art featured a duo of Kyurem fused with either Reshiram or Zekrom. Niantic's AR mobile game Pokemon GO recently added Kyurem alongside the other Unova Region Legendaries, however there is currently no word on when or how a mechanic to fuse them together will be implemented.
While the Generation 5 games likely brought more attention to the concept, creative Pokemon fusions are popular because of the interesting results they can create. WowPokefusion has a handful of other sprite-based pieces posted to Reddit, including combinations such as a Garchomp mixed with Darkrai, a Corsola mixed with a Torterra, and a Blaziken mixed with the Galarian Moltres coming in Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra DLC.
As Pokemon continues to grow with innumerable mainline games and spin-offs, including upcoming entries such as New Pokemon Snap, the potential for creators like WowPokefusions to create new monsters feels limitless. On top of the games, Pokemon's popularity has also led to lots of merchandise, such as a recently released line of Pokemon-themed underwear by Japanese clothing brand Hipshop.