Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature the biggest regional Pokedex ever since Pokemon Black and White, with Gen 9 featuring 103 new pocket monsters in total. This number includes various concepts new and old, from a few regional forms and cross-gen evolutions to Paradox Pokemon and the so-called "regional fakes," which are perhaps one of the weirdest additions to the franchise as a whole. Much like every other generation of mainline games, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduce new special forms for their critters.
An example is Gimmighoul, which has both a Chest Form and a Roaming Form, but this is a peculiar case because the chest-bound version of the critter is exclusive to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, whereas the Roaming Form is exclusive to Pokemon GO. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Gimmighoul evolves into one of the best Pokemon ever made regardless of its base form, however. There are more special forms in Gen 9, and they vary based on several factors.
Squawkabilly's Different Colors
One of the very first new Gen 9 critters that trainers see in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is Squawkabilly, albeit this only happens for a few seconds during the introductory cutscene. This parakeet Pokemon comes in four different color variations: green, blue, yellow, and white. Squawkabilly is possibly one of the hardest critters to shiny-hunt in Gen 9, but its forms spawn in various locations across Paldea.
Maushold's Family Members
A Pokemon deemed one of the cutest in all of Gen 9 by fans, Maushold is a rather unique pocket monster because its base form evolves randomly, and it becomes a family of mice. Maushold can be made of three or four mice, but the number varies randomly once the seed for the Pokemon is generated in the overworld or in the egg it hatched from, and thus cannot be changed.
Tatsugiri's Different Colors
Much like Squawkabilly, Tatsugiri has three color variations, and they represent different flavors of sushi. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tatsugiri can be found in its Stretchy Form, which is yellow, the Droopy Form, which is pink with white fins, and the Curly Form, which is salmon pink and has darker hues on the upper part of its body. Tatsugiri is quite powerful when combined with Dondozo in double battles, and its form also changes the effect of Dondozo's Order Up move.
Dudunsparce's Segments
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After years of fans calling for a Dunsparce evolution, Game Freak finally did it in Gen 9. Although Dudunsparce's Hidden Ability is quite useless, it remains a fan-favorite Pokemon due to nostalgia and the fact that it's a decent attacker nonetheless. Although it bears no effect on its combat efficiency, Dudunsparce has two different forms: one with two body segments, and one with three.
Oinkologne's Gender Differences
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Lechonk was a fan-favorite ever since it was released, but the hype has since died down due to its evolution not matching the trainers' expectations. However, Lechonk is the only Gen 9 Pokemon whose evolution differs based on its gender. Oinkologne's appearance is the only thing that changes as a result, though, and the critter remains the exact same for all other intents and purposes.
Palafin's Zero to Hero Form
One of the weirdest evolution methods in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is that of Finizen, which becomes Palafin only after hitting level 38 or more and leveling up in co-op while another player is watching. Yet, Palafin's base form is basically identical to Finizen apart from a heart appearing on its chest. Where Palafin shines is in its "superhero form," which activates when it switches out of combat and back in, activating its Zero to Hero Ability and gaining great stats.
Tauros' Three Regional Forms
Although these are not exactly special forms, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paldean Tauros is a Fighting-type, but there are two version-exclusive forms where the Pokemon gains Fire and Water as its secondary types, respectively. These are usually found in the middle of a Tauros cluster, and they differ based on the horns, the tails, and the fur, which gains red or blue stripes depending on the form.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.