Pokemonfans have been talking a lot about the new Gigantamax Pokemon that will be available inSwordandShield. They have spawned tons ofGigantamax memes, news stories, jokes, and even one interesting fan theory that is making fans wonder if these giants were spoiled many years before.
ThePokemonanime adaptation that began in 1997, calledIndigo Leagueafter the fact, was a massive success that brought thePokemon RedandBlueto the US and paved the way for thePokemonTCG. It spawned several more anime and also movies, toys, and made the franchise a US staple. But not only that, it looks like thePokemonanime of the late nineties might have also been an influence in creating thePokemon SwordandShieldGigantamax too.
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According to somePokemonfans on Reddit, they believe that the influence for the Gigantamax Pokemon might have begun back inJune of 1997. Episode 13 ofIndigo League, calledMystery at the Lighthouse,featured a giant Dragonite that was larger than a lighthouse. This giant Pokemon bears quite the resemblance to the Gigantamax Pokemon for Generation 8’sSword and Shield, and is quite unlike any Dragonite in the games. Some fans think that, maybe, this Dragonite was the Gigantamax version of the creature, which would explain why it was so massive in the episode.
There is also two other possible references to these massive monsters in the show: In epsiode 244, Misty dreams of a massive Gyarados in the ocean. A Reddit commenter on the post also mentions a later episode where a guy “with a weird crystal around his neck that looked like a Z-Crystal,” but never mentions the episode.
While thePokemon: Indigo Leagueepisodes may have been an inspiration for the Gigantamax Pokemon, it seems much more likely that Japan’s long history withGodzilla-like giant monsters, or kaiju,is more likely the inspiration. Both the giant Pokemon from the anime and these Gigantamax have very similarGodzillacounterparts: the giant Dragonite, Gigantamax Drednaw, andGigantamax Charizardall share a similar Godzilla body style, while Gigantamax Butterfree reminds many fans of Mothra.
The anime, while the jumping point for the games becoming a household name in the US, has always been a separate world from the games with its own rules. For example, the Pokedex works differently in the anime and the battles are in real-time instead of turn-based. But whether or not the inspiration came from the anime,Godzilla,orkaijuin general,Pokemonfans are excited for the release ofPokemon SwordandShieldon November 15th, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon SwordandShieldwill launch on November 15, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
