Pokemon is one of the most enduring brands in gaming. Red Version and Blue Version initially launched in 1996, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which The Pokemon Company announced during Pokemon day on February 27th.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet arrive later this year. However, while developers showed off the new starters during the announcement, fans have yet to see their evolutions. To fill that void, one fan artist created their versions of the second and third forms of the feline grass type Sprigatito.
Reddit user evie_eeviez made the sketches and shared them on the platform. While fans haven’t seen any official artwork, these hypothetical designs contain neat ideas. While Sprigatito most resembles a young long-haired cat, evie_eeviez based its second form on the lynx and its third on a sabertooth tiger. The lynx-inspired stage introduces pink flower petals on the Pokemon’s ears and back, the latter of which blooms in Sprigatito’s final form. One commenter noted that this detail is shared with the evolutions of the Generation 1 starter Bulbasaur, though evie_eeviez claims that was a coincidence. Either way, the Pokemon’s final form is quite majestic, while its prominent fangs indicate that the colorful cat is no pushover in battle.
Known as the Grass Cat Pokemon, Sprigatito was one of the Generation 9 starter Pokemon revealed during The Pokemon Company’s February 2022 press conference. Unfortunately, Scarlet and Violet’s developer and publishers have not revealed much about the new grass-type starter Pokemon. Fans only know about one of its abilities, Overgrow, which all Grass-type starters have. Fans also don’t know anything about Sprigatito’s evolved forms beyond what they can infer from its kitten-like appearance. It’s unlikely that the Grass Cat’s actual evolution will have more than a passing resemblance to evie_eeviez creations. However, it’s as reasonable a guess as any and shows a few very clever ideas.
evie_eeviez’s artwork saw an overwhelmingly positive reception on the Pokemon subreddit. Pokemon fans praised many details of the design, such as using flower petals to represent the fuzz on the tip of a lynx’s ears. However, another commenter noted how little fans could infer from Sprigatito’s design. The new starter Pokemon is just a kitten with two shades of green and vaguely leaf-shaped patterns on its fur.
Another fan worried that the official designs might not live up to the high quality of the fan artist’s concepts. This is a concern that evie_eeviez shares. Unfortunately, fans won’t know for sure until Pokemon Scarlet and Violet release sometime later this year.
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet release in late 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.