Nintendo’s nearly 30-year-old Pokémon franchise is well-known for featuring some of the most popular fictional creature designs in all of pop culture, from the ever-iconic electric mouse Pikachu to the relatively recent fiery, crocodile-like Skeledirge.
Not every Pokémon design is universally beloved, however, due to their rather bizarre features or basic concepts, such as the ice cream Pokémon Vanillite, Vanillish, Vanilluxe, or the odd-looking pink fish Pokémon Bruxish.
Some of the most bizarre creature designs found in all of Pokémon are, without a doubt, Pokémon Sun and Moon‘s extradimensional Ultra Beasts, appearing from Ultra Wormholes from Ultra Space to wreak havoc on the Alola region or be manipulated by the Aether Foundation.
With Sun and Moon turning 10 years old later this year, many of Game Freak’s developers have begun looking back at their work and divulging how some of the game’s features came to be, including the origin behind the mysterious Ultra Beasts.
The Origin of Ultra Beasts
Ultra Beasts first appear roughly halfway through Sun and Moon‘s main storyline at the Aether Foundation, with the first Ultra Beast being the Rock/Poison UB Nihilego.
After this encounter, more and more Ultra Beasts begin to pop up throughout the Alola region from Ultra Wormholes, each more bizarre than the last, including:
- Buzzwole
- Pheromosa
- Xurkitree
- Celesteela
- Kartana
- Guzzlord
- Poipole
- Naganadel
- Stakataka
- Blacephalon
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Oftentimes, these UB appearances won’t exactly match up with their official typings, such as the clown-like Blacephalon being a Fire/Ghost type, but this was by design, as veteran Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori advised that they feature contradictory elements in order to make the UBs more distinct from common Pokémon.
Ultra Beasts haven’t been available in a mainline Pokémon game since Sword and Shield…
Fellow Pokémon designer Yusuke Ohmura additionally recently revealed on X that the UB’s designs originated from conceptual Pokémon designs that Sugimori rejected, with Ohmura adding that, “… in a way, they also have the aspect of being a collective manifestation of my grudges/resentment, which is pretty scary, isn’t it?”
Ohmura previously created the designs for multiple fan-favorite Pokemon such as Piplup, Oshawott, Froakie, as well as the legendary mascots for Pokémon X and Y and Pokémon Sword and Shield, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zacian, and Zamazenta.
Ultra Beasts haven’t been available in a mainline Pokémon game since Sword and Shield, though they have routinely appeared in spinoff titles such as Pokémon Go and Pokémon Unite.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
