Pokémon Legends: Arceus – 10 Pokémon That Still Need New Forms

With Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl out, fans are now eagerly awaiting next month’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus and the hopeful revolution to the formula it could bring. In addition to the game having an ambitious premise for the franchise, Game Freak has revealed that new regional (Hisuian) forms, as well as new Pokémon altogether, will be introduced.

As for the former, prospective players have already seen the exciting new looks at the likes of Growlithe and Zoroark, but they’re already speculating over what’s to come. Since Mega Evolutions debuted in generation six, fans have been hoping for several beloved Pokémon to get a deserved makeover.

Nidoking

Nidoking is a classic Pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow on the Game Boy. Though he was more difficult to find in certain generations of Pokémon games after Kanto, he’s more than worthwhile during the single-player questline. His stats are overall well-rounded, but with a good focus on  Nidoking’s Physical Attack specifically.

Nidoking is already one of the best dual-type Poison Pokémon. However, this feudal-era version of Sinnoh could give Nidoking a refreshing new character design. Likewise, making him a dual Poison/Fighting-type Pokémon could be an interesting option, as it could take advantage of his already-solid Attack stat.

Flygon

In terms of the Hoenn games, Flygon is arguably one of the most fan-favorite yet neglected Pokémon. Players have been clamoring for a new form ever since Mega Evolutions introduced the concept of giving older species new forms. However, the neglect of Mega Evolutions as generations went by is, unfortunately, one of Pokémon‘s most poorly-aged tropes.

And as of now, no such luck has fallen on Flygon with regional forms getting introduced in Sun and Moon on the 3DS. However, this new feature has thankfully proven to be a novel idea and a mainstay, so Pokémon Legends: Arceus gives the Dragon-type a chance at a reinvention. The Ice typing could be interesting for a Dragon, plus it fits Hisui’s climate.

Tropius

Though a Pokémon not often looked at compared to others, Tropius was an inventive and fun design. Combining a sauropod like Apatosaurus with the Pokémon’s jungle habitat makes it worth revisiting. It’s an underrated design that showed Game Freak at their creative best, even if Tropius often goes unnoticed.

It isn’t the strongest of creatures and having no evolutions or pre-evolutions are also likely culprits at Tropius’ lack of attention. But given its inherently adapted to its original Hoenn habitat, Tropius seems like a good surprise pick for a region with a different climate.

Nidoqueen

Should the male variant of the Nidoran line get a Hisuian form, it would only be natural to have the King/Queen duo. Nidoqueen doesn’t have the same heavy-hitting stats that Nidoking does, but she makes up for it by having well-rounded defensive stats to make her a tank. And on the offensive, Nidoqueen was a diverse enough movepool to make her flexible.

Having new forms for this duo could be interesting from a design perspective and a typing one. One option could be to give them both the same Hisuian dual-typing, or they could have new dual-typings that separate each other.

Typhlosion

One of the more exciting things that Pokémon Legends: Arceus appears to be doing is mixing up the starters that players can choose. The game is going to have the three starters be an assortment from three different regions as opposed to one. Typhlosion is the best Fire Starter from the Johto region, and it could be a great opportunity to give it a regional variant.

It may not be something that fans should put all their hopes into happening, but playing with the feudal-era region’s themes would make for an exciting redesign. At least for the time being, Cyndaquil will be the same as in Johto, but like with other regional forms, Quilava/Typhlosion would get Hisuian Forms.

Dunsparce

Similar to Flygon, Dunsparce has become a sort of long-running joke for a Pokémon in desperate need of attention. The Land Snake creature has an endearingly innocent design but is as plain in action as it looks. Dunsparce is a Normal-type with fairly low stats, making it not an ideal pick for battle.

It’s odd that, to this day, it still hasn’t received an evolution, Mega Evolution, or regional form since it feels like it’s part of an incomplete evolutionary line. Should it be found in the wilds of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, giving it both a Hisuian Form and corresponding evolution would be the best of both worlds.

Samurott

To some fans, the Unova games were the last time the mainline Pokémon games were exceptional. And though the generation’s starters were a bit inconsistent, they were good designs on their own merits. Samurott has a sleek and creative design, but some felt it left some potential on the table for the theme it was going for.

Oshawott and Dewott were gradually leading into the bipedal-samurai look but opted for the quadruped Samurott in the end. Along with a secondary type added, a regional form giving an alternate take on the latter’s design could be a great way to have two complementary forms.

Girafarig

In terms of creativity, Girafarig is another one of the more underappreciated inventive and inspired Pokémon. The giraffe and okapi-inspired design are unorthodox in a refreshing way, but it seems like it could also get more out of it in battle.

The Normal/Psychic dual-typing is also interesting, and Girafarig’s lower body looks like it could toy with the Dark-type in a reimagining. And given Girafarig’s secondary Psychic typing, its Special Attack stat is its highest point. This would be a good excuse to double down on it with the Dark-type, especially since it isn’t currently among the best Psychic Dual-Type Pokémon.

Decidueye

Rounding out of the last of the starters is Rowlet from Sun and Moon. It quickly became a beloved fan-favorite upon its reveal back in 2016, and many players will surely be happy to see it get a second round of attention in Legends: Arceus. Rowlet’s final evolution, Decidueye, is arguably one of the best-designed Pokémon Starters in a few generations and would undoubtedly excite fans to see it get a new form.

Decidueye has an interesting Dual-typing as is, dropping its secondary Flying-type for Ghost. This might make it difficult to imagine what it could be changed into, visually and Type-wise, but fans will likely be happy to see starters finally get Regional Forms.

Machamp

Trade evolutions have understandably become more of a nuisance, but with Legends being confirmed as a single-player game, perhaps players can more easily get their hands on a Machamp. It’s a classic Pokémon, yet Machamp has only gotten a Gigantamax variant, making it a good time to get more recognition.

Meanwhile, the likes of Gengar and Alakazam have each gotten a Mega Evolution and Gigantamax form. It could be interesting to see a Hisuian Form that makes Machamp a Special Attacker/Mixed Attacker, given that it’s currently a Physically-oriented Pokémon.

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