For the past three weeks, The Pokemon Company has been sharing trailers for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that revealed a new upcoming critter each. Although the trailer Farigiraf was in was the most comprehensive of the bunch, as it acted as a recap of sorts for all the details about Gen 9 games, Wiglett and Bellibolt got tailored short videos to showcase them in creative ways. In the case of Bellibolt, The Pokemon Company revealed this Electric frog Pokemon is actually the partner and ace critter of the newly announced Paldean Gym Leader, Iono, who last week made her debut through an in-universe stream called "Iono Zone."
Although they are not seemingly part of any Gym Leader's team in Gen 9, Armarouge and Ceruledge share another strange characteristic with Bellibolt's look, as their design makes them stand out from other critters. In the case of Armarouge and Ceruledge, they were quickly compared to Mega Man characters due to their appearance and the fact that the former's attacks turn its shoulders into a cannon. As for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Bellibolt, although the pocket monster is being addressed as cute by some fans, its design still makes it a meme more than it makes it a legit Pokemon.
How Objectmon Stack Up Against Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Bellibolt
The Pokemon franchise is not new to unique and interesting designs, and a great example comes from the so-called "objectmons," as in, creatures based on inanimate objects or food, which have been around ever since Gen 1 dropped. Some of these critters did get a lot of flak from the community when they were revealed or released, such as Gen 5's Vanillite line or Trubbish line, respectively representing ice creams and garbage bags. Generation 5 of Pokemon games was probably the most controversial out of them all when it came to object-based Pokemon, especially considering that one of the fan favorites was Chandelure, showing how mixed the reception of this idea really was.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's leaked Pokedex also seems to feature multiple object-inspired monsters, which could open up the discussion about this issue once more. Gen 9's Terastallization also doesn't help the case of these Pokemon due to how the Terastal symbols are mostly based on inanimate objects themselves, such as Fire-types' candelabra, Water-types' fountain, and Flying-types' multiple balloons. This is just one reason why some Pokemon end up having debatable characteristics design-wise, and Bellibolt could prove that point again even though it's now an object.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Bellibolt is a strange case because it's meant to be based on a frog, and while that inspiration partially pays off, the main characteristic that vouches for it is the eyes-like protuberances on the side of the critter's head. These are shaped and colored exactly like eyes, but then Iono's big Guess the Pokemon stream revealed that those are actually just bumps from which Bellibolt discharges electricity, whereas the creature's eyes are yellow dots, and they're located just above its mouth.
This fact alone makes Bellibolt look more like a Big Hero 6 character than it does a Pokemon, and while it's good to experiment with new concepts or take different spins on existing ideas, Gen 9's Armarouge and Ceruledge went overboard already. There was also some sort of expectation attached to Bellibolt overall that wasn't met with the official reveal, as the Pokemon was rumored to be both Electric and Psychic, whereas it turned out to be a pure Electric-type. Ultimately, while Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Farigiraf does prove that a unique twist can be simple and yet familiar, Bellibolt fails to do as much, and it rather has more meme potential than anything else.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.