If you ever need reminding how popular Pokémon is, simply type one of the creatures’ names into social media and see how many image results you get. This is true even for Pokémon so far only glimpsed in leaked screenshots from early copies, images of which Nintendo is busy scrubbing from the internet. Fan art created from seeing these leaked images, though, is another matter. For example, this morning I learned the final evolution of Grass-type cat and Scarlet and Violet Starter Pokémon Sprigatito had leaked online after I saw someone on Twitter discussing its design. (And if you’re still reading and want to go into the new games blind, this is your cue to head elsewhere now.) So, yes, images of Sprigatito’s final evolution are now very much out there - generating a lot of fan art and also a lot of debate. Searching Twitter today you can find countless images of the new Pokémon made by fans within the past 24 hours, and a lot of discussion around the fact it has a feminine anthropomorphic design. There are plenty of popular anthropomorphic Pokémon, of course, dating back to Red and Blue’s Machamp. Gen 3’s Gardevoir is something of a fan-favourite, I am told. Already, there is fan art of Sprigatito’s evolution and Gen 7’s Incineroar. Did the cute little kitten need to turn into another bipedal Poké-person? This is a debate perhaps left to Twitter. Still, though, I am impressed by the speed and the dedication of the many, many artists already sharing their love for the design in just a few short hours. A selection of Safe For Work fan art lies below.
