Summary
OnePokemonfan and talented artist recently went through the effort of envisioning Pikachu as an Electric/Bug-type pocket monster. The end result of his endeavor later made the rounds on social media, adding to the ever-growing pile ofimpressivePokemonfan reimaginings.
The most common types ofPokemonfan art aiming to shake up iconic creature designs generally fall into one of two categories: fusions and typing variations. Both approaches can yield some truly peculiar results, although many artists findeye-catchingPokemonfusionsto be more straightforward to create, not least because they always come down to combining features of existing Pokemon.
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Nevertheless, YouTuber JJonnyDraws recently opted for a much bigger challenge, having decided to turn Pikachu into a dual-type Pokemon based on a random wheel spin. And while the content creator wasn’t hoping to roll a Bug type, he still did an admirable job of following through on that peculiar combination. He dubbed the resulting concept Pikabee, using mimicry insects like phasmids for inspiration. Their unique creature is thus effectively a bug covered in a Pikachu-like pattern, whose red cheeks are actually its eyes. JJonnyDraws even went through the effort of designing a shiny version of thisPikachu clone, which he mostly painted dark brown, perhaps as a reference to the shiny Alolan Raichu palette.
Reflecting on his accomplishment, the YouTuber revealed that he didn’t want to go thecreepy Pokemon routeby turning Pikachu into a centipede or otherwise making it more insectoid than necessary. The amount of thought that went into this design is also evidenced by the fact that JJonnyDraws even decided on one of Pikabee’s moves, Compound Eyes. That accuracy-boosting skill has long been a staple of Bug-type Pokemon throughout the series.
This distinct Pikachu redesign also serves as a reminder that thePokemonfranchise has yet to introduce an Electric/Bug dual-type pocket monster after almost three decades of existence. Granted, there are four creatures—Joltik, Galvantula, Charjabug, and Vikavolt—that fit that rough typing combination, but all of them are primarily bugs with a secondary Electric type.
While no entry in the franchise ever made a gameplay distinction between primary and secondary half-types, their order has always been important in determining the overall appearance of a given pocket monster. This means that an Electric/Bug Pokemon would have to look not like an insect, but like something that draws from the much more varied pool of potential Electric Pokemon inspirations, which is easier said than done.
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