A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player has photoshopped Larry's unique face on all of the games' Gym Leaders and Team Star bosses. The relationship that many Pokemon fans develop with characters from the franchise is unique in the video game industry. It's difficult to predict which characters will stand out and why, but when they do Pokemon fans latch on with excitement. That Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Larry would be such a character is a surprise, to say the least.
This article will have SPOILERS for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Larry is, even by Pokemon NPC standards, a very plain-looking man. He wears a business suit with a blue tie, carries a business bag, and even talks about work during his Pokemon battles. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players encounter Larry as the Gym Leader at Medali Gym, where he hilariously has a Normal-type specialization. But there's more to Larry than first meets the eye. He's also a member of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Elite Four. His dour disposition is unchanged in this second encounter, however.
While Larry's depressed attitude helps him stand out from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's cast, it's his emotionless face that makes him an optimal choice for memes and fan art. Larry has big eyebrows, bags under his eyes, and a slight grimace. It's a mood. Unsurprisingly, a fan decided to take Larry's face and photoshop it onto the bodies of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gym Leaders and Team Star bosses. The result is something to behold.
What makes the edits so special is that there's a genuine amount of effort that went into the images' creation. Reddit user ialwaysplayhealer even edited in freckles, face paint, hats, facial hair, and other clothing as necessary. Even with the edits, every image very obviously features Larry's face. His eyebrows are impossible to ignore. The Poison Crew Leader Atticus edit basically only shows Larry's eyebrow and yet it's still clear what's going on.
The Gym Leader and Team Star edits were split between two different Reddit posts. The Gym Leaders climbed to the top of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet subreddit, while the Team Star image received a fraction of the upvotes. Perhaps that's because the Gym Leaders are just that much more popular, or perhaps it's because the Gym Leader post has twice as much Larry.
The Pokemon community is at its best when it's embracing the silliness of the franchise and having fun with it. Game Freak needed a Normal-type Gym Leader and Larry was the result. It likely didn't expect the depressed Gym Leader to resound with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's audience, but the quality of Game Freak's work allowed Larry to stand apart. Hopefully, there're more Larry memes and ridiculousness to come.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Switch.