This May Be The Worst Pokemon Evolution Of All Time
There are a few key elements that fans have come to expect from each new generation of the "Pokémon" franchise. There is always a new journey to collect badges and compete with other trainers, there's always a new region to explore – and most importantly – there are always several new variations of Pokémon for trainers to catch. Hundreds of new creatures have been added to the games over the years. Sometimes they are completely new Pokémon, but other times they are regional variants of Pokémon or even new stages of evolution for pre-existing species.
Several designs for new Pokémon have been leaked in the weeks leading up to the ninth generation, "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet." Fans have loved the new designs for the motorcycle legendaries and the endearing Lechonk, but there have also been a few misses along the way as well. The incredibly awkward Diglett variant, Wiglet, has raised more than a few eyebrows, but now there's a new evolution of a Pokémon that was just announced which might take the crown for the worst evolution of all time.
The best Pokémon evolutionary cycles generally have a common thread of design (via The Gamer). They usually keep a similar color palette and a few key design elements, such as Charmander's flaming tail, but they also build upon that design, usually making it bigger, more complex, and more imposing. The recently leaked Dudunsparce seems like a particularly lazy attempt at this.
Dudunsparce may be oddly appropriate
Dunsparce is a Normal-type Pokémon who has been around ever since the days of Gen 2. The "Land Snake Pokémon" has gained a fair amount of popularity over the years due to its uniquely pitiful design. Dunsparce has wings that are too weak to truly fly, eyes that can barely see, and flees all combat by burrowing into the ground like a worm. But while Dunsparce has been a part of the world of Pokémon since 1999, it has never been able to evolve until now. So what does this new evolution entail? Larger wings? Open eyes? A bigger, more aggressive tail? Not quite.
Pictures of Dudunsparce have been leaked on Twitter revealing the new design. Rather than modifying the creature's design to make it look more imposing, it looks as if the developers at Game Freak have simply copy-and-pasted a second thorax onto it. That's right, Dudunsparse has two body segments, complete with a second set of tiny, feeble wings. Adding insult to injury, it also seems that it is now peeking through mostly closed eyes instead of fully closed ones.
Some fans were upset over the transformation, but others thought it was oddly appropriate for such a weird creature. One wrote, "it's way better than any fan-made evolution I've seen throughout the years. This was the perfect way to evolve Dunsparce and it really highlights how weird and creative this generation is." Perhaps this is actually the best evolution possible for a creature that's defining characteristics are being harmless and a bit awkward.