Pokémon Parallels: Trends in Pokémon Designs and Concepts

[Spire]

Particularly noticeable in Gen 3, numerous Pokémon seem to be based on those from past generations, namely Gen 1. Let's see if we can't identify every 'spiritual successor' to date. To conserve space, we'll identify evolutionary familes by their final stages. Remember, these may be based on statistics, concept, or both. Feel free to debunk anything listed so far, or add to the list.

• Venusaur // Meganium // Sceptile // Torterra
• Charizard // Typhlosion // Blaziken // Infernape
• Blastoise // Feraligatr // Marshtomp // Empoleon
• Butterfree, Beedrill (Venomoth) // Ledian, Ariados // Beautiful, Dustox // Wormadam, Mothim
• Raticate // Furret // Linoone // Bibarel
• Pidgeot // Staraptor
• Fearow // Noctowl // Swellow
• Pikachu // Plusle, Minun // Pachirisu
• Alakazam // Gardevoir (?)
• Parasect // Breloom (?)
• Exploud // Wigglytuff (?)
• Persian // Delcatty // Purugly
• Rhydon // Aggron
• Primeape // Medicham (?)
• Muk // Swalot
• Slowbro // Camerupt (?)
• Lapras // Tropius or Torkoal (?)
• Hypno // Grumpig
• Exeggutor // Cacturne (?)
• Sandslash // Zangoose (?)
• Arbok // Seviper
• Kingler // Crawdaunt
• Magnezone // Metagross
• Seaking // Lantern // Wishcash // Lumineon
• Gyarados // Milotic
• Ditto // Smeargle // Castform // Kecleon (?)
• Dewgong // Walrein (?)
• Pinsir // Heracross
• Tauros // Miltank
• Skarmory // Mantine
• Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres // Suicune, Raikou, Entei
• Dragonite // Tyranitar // Salamence // Garchomp
• Mew // Celebi // Jirachi // Manaphy // Shaymin

And I'll stop there, though there are definitely many more.

 

[Charmander]

• Rhydon //Tyranitar//Aggron

I fixed it for you
Also you've semmed to forget Fearow//Noctowl//Swellow
and Pidgeot//Staraptor
I know you said you didn't post em all, but these were the first to come to mind when I saw this.

 

[CRASHiC]

No. Its Lapras // Tropious

 

[Spire]

I always thought it was Lapras // Tropius until somewhat recently. I guess it was the fact that both Lapras and Torkoal are shelled reptiles and opposing Water/Ice and Fire types. Are Lapras and Tropius statistically similar?

 

[Wave⁂]

Both have low Speed and high HP, with fairly balanced other stats. Tropius is slightly more defensive, while Lapras is physically strong and specially defensive. Both have a 2 HP EV yield.

Tropius has Swords Dance, Lapras has Dragon Dance.

Tropius has Chlorophyll, but Lapras does not have the corresponding Swift Swim.

Lapras has a fantastic special movepool (Ice Beam, Surf, Thunderbolt, Dragon Pulse, Psychic), and a decent physical movepool (Aqua Tail / Waterfall, Avalanche, Iron Tail, Return.
Tropius has an poor physical movepool (Leaf Blade, Earthquake, Aerial Ace) and a worse special movepool (Leaf Storm / Energy Ball, Air Slash).

Lapras is two feet taller than Tropius and weighs twice as much (big shell). They have different body styles, catch rates, and footprints.


They are fairly different. How different is up to interpretation.

 

[mood4food77]

for the record

lapras completely outclasses tropius in every way

move pool, stats, typing, just everything

 

[Terywj [태리]]

I'd argue that Hariyama bears trend to Primeape more so than Medicham does. If anything Medicham should be a parellel of Machamp.

-Terywj

 

[Fuelbi]

Mew/Celebi/Jirachi/Manaphy

They ARE fairy like pokemon right? Well maybe not Mew but they seem to be based on it.

Tauros/Miltank

Both are either female or male from a related species

Caterpie,Weedle/?/Wurmple/?

Yeah I think you know

Pidgey/Hoot-hoot/Tailow/Starly

Also think is obvious

Arbok,Ekans/Seviper

Yeah I think you know too

 

[SpiredMoth]

Wouldn't it be:
Butterfree/Beedrill // Beautifly/Dustox // Wormadam/Mothim

I've also got an expansion on one of Spire's:
Seaking // Lanturn // Whiscash // Lumineon

They're all two-stage fish even though Lanturn and Whiscash are dual-types

I might try to find more later.

 

[Fuelbi]

Kedabra/Machoke/Haunter//Porygon-2/Steelix/Scizor//Gorebyss/Huntail//Electavire/Magmortar/Porygon-Z

I know there are more item trade evos, but I can't remember them at the moment

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Articuno // Zapdos // Moltres // Suicune // Raikou // Entei

Regirock // Regice // Reigsteel // Regigigas

Pinsir // Heracross

-Terywj

 

[JOE!]

i dont think the regis count....

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Regigigas does. Technically.

Gyarados // Milotic
Hypno // Grumpig (?)
Dragonite // Salamence // Garchomp

-Terywj

 

[Pink Reaper]

Tery, by that logic each new eveelution is a "Spiritual successor" to older ones. Also Fossil pokemon dont really count either. They're not based on each other concept wise they just all come from fossils.

I know you said it's supposed to be full evolutions but this one's kinda specific

Pikachu // Plusle/Minun // Pacharisu

 

[mood4food77]

skarmory//mantine (stats are pretty much identical with just a physical special switch)

mew/celebi/jirachi/manaphy/shaymin should be the group, fairy like properties, even base 100s across the board, manaphy and shaymin are a bit sketchy since they do have something different (manaphy can have an egg while shaymin has another form) but the even base 100s have something in common

ummm, that's it for now

 

[Fuelbi]

Pikachu //PICHU// Plusle/Minun // Pacharisu

Corrected it.

Squirtle//Shuckle//Torkoal//Turtwig

Think about it, they're all turtle pokemon

 

[SpiredMoth]

Here's another I just found/remembered:

Metagross // Magnezone

Both lines are meant to look like the evolutions are multiple of their pre-evos combined. I almost didn't include Magnezone because it's just a bigger Magneton, but it does sorta keep up the trend.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

What about Dugtrio, Dodrio, and Weezing then?

Perhaps all five of those could be linked?

-Terywj

 

[Fuelbi]

What about Dugtrio, Dodrio, and Weezing then?

Perhaps all five of those could be linked?

-Terywj

Don't forget Magneton

 

[SpiredMoth]

I meant to also say that the pokedex entries also try to convey that the evos are actually a merge of multiple pre-evos. I guess that Dugtrio fits as well, but I'm not to sure about the others.

 

[Fuelbi]

Slowbro//Mantine

Even though in the games you can't do proximity evolutions with Slowpoke, the anime DOES imply that with Shellder biting the tail of Slowpoke, it evolves. Mantine needs Remoraid to evolve

 

[SpiredMoth]

Don't forget Magneton

I almost didn't include Magnezone because it's just a bigger Magneton, but it does sorta keep up the trend.

I guess you missed this part/forgot that Magneton evolves.

 

[Fuelbi]

Yes I did, but still...

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Don't forget Magneton

He already mentioned Magneton.

I meant to also say that the pokedex entries also try to convey that the evos are actually a merge of multiple pre-evos. I guess that Dugtrio fits as well, but I'm not to sure about the others.

So does Dodrio. I'm pretty sure. But definitely Weezing's entry says that.

-Terywj

 

[SpiredMoth]

So does Dodrio. I'm pretty sure. But definitely Weezing's entry says that.

-Terywj

I just checked the 3rd and 4th Gen dex entries on serebii and Weezing fits (except for the fact it isn't a three stage evo chain

Spoiler

yet?

but then again neither is Dugtrio), but the closest for Dodrio is "When Doduo evolves into this rare breed, one of its heads splits into two..."

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Ahh, so I was wrong about Dodrio.

So Weezing // Dugtrio // Magneton(zone) // Metagross

-Terywj

 

[Spire]

Remember, the aesthetics contribute too. Magnezone and Metagross both have similar body shapes and evolve [conceptually] the same. Also, both are part Steel.

Though their Base Stats don't seem to bear any semblance or connectivity sans their Sp. Def.

Oh, and the OP has been updated.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

As deserving as Tyranitar is of that spot, shouldn't it be just the Dragon-types?

I know everything else about their concept is the same.
(Although one could argue that the evolutionary chain and numbering of Garchomp is different)

-Terywj

 

[Wave⁂]

Tyranitar kind of is a dragon.

 

[Spire]

At the time of 2nd Gen's release, didn't you feel that the Tyranitar family were the successors to the Dragonite family? It certainly felt that way to me.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Personally, I don't. But that's absolutely okay.

I brought up Dragonite // Salamence // Garchomp to show the final stage hard-hitting Dragon-types of Generations 1, 3, and 4. Generation 2 lacked any Dragons (bar Kingdra) so I felt the trio would seem more fitting.

But by all means, keep it, haha.

-Terywj

 

[Spire]

I understand your pov, it's just the fact that Ttar was the hard-hitter of 2nd Gen, just as Dragonite was in 1st Gen. Tyranitar is based somewhat on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, so dinosaur, dragon, close enough.

 

[choknater]

i believe metagross can be grouped with the 600 dragons and ttar

they all have a base stat total of 600, and have 3 stages of evolution

 

[Pink Reaper]

Actually TTar and Salamence share a somewhat closer relationship than the others.

First stages are small, somewhat larval forms of their full forms

Second stage is a chrysalis/pupa type form

Third stages are crazy 600 BST monsters.

 

[Mewter]

Jigglypuff family and Whimsur family could be parallels.

Edit: Can't think of anything from 2nd and 4th gen for that.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

Well then couldn't you could the weird evolution line of the Dratinie family too, PR?

I mean, Dratini and Dragonair suddenly go bulky and gain wings..

-Terywj

 

[Pink Reaper]

The TTar/Mence line mimic each other almost exactly. The Dragonite family, idk whats up with them.

 

[Wave⁂]

Dragonair's ability is Shed Skin, which is kind of related to Pupitar and Shelgon.

 

[Terywj [태리]]

And I didn't say the melding of the three evolutionary lines had/B] to be done, I just wanted to bring it up.

-Terywj

 

[Charmander]

I understand your pov, it's just the fact that Ttar was the hard-hitter of 2nd Gen, just as Dragonite was in 1st Gen. Tyranitar is based somewhat on a Tyrannosaurus Rex, so dinosaur, dragon, close enough.

Wow, I went all this time thinking Aggron was Ttars counerpart.
look at em, Three stage, bipedal dinos. Aron and Larvatar are similar too so...