The possibilities forPokemon ScarletandVioletare endless at the moment. The new generation ofPokemongames is in the post-announcement stage where fans are hyped, but there is still little known about the new entries, allowing fans’ imaginations to run wild. This generally servesPokemongames well, and is a great way for the community to bond as almost everyone hypothesizes about what the new games have in store for them.Pokemongames are also good at hiding easter eggs about future content in titles and promotional materials, something thatPokemon ScarletandVioletmay have done to hint at one of Gen 9’s new Legendary Pokemon.
There’s already a lot ofevidence forPokemon ScarletandViolet’s new regionbeing inspired by Spain, as well as the greater Iberian Peninsula, but tucked into the new titles of Gen 9 might also be evidence of one of its Legendary Pokemon. The titles ofPokemongames do traditionally relate to their corresponding Legendary Pokemon in some way, as they play a major role in advertising and the official box art. This has been the standard since Gen 2’sPokemon GoldandSilver, which directly related to the color schemes for Ho-oh and Lugia. ForPokemon ScarletandViolet, this could mean that the Legendary Pokemon color schemes will match its namesake, but it could also hint at more.
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Pokemon Violet’s Legendary Pokemon
If the region used byPokemon ScarletandVioletis inspired by Spain, then there seems to be a notable possibility thatPokemon Violet’s Legendary Pokemon will be based on a lion. This primarily comes from how violet and purple are used in the Spanish flag. The flag itself is more reminiscent ofthe new Fire-type starter, Fuecoco, implementing yellow and red as its primary colors. However, placed neatly within the Spanish coat of arms on the flag is a bright purple lion. The detail is small and can be hard to see, but up against the yellow and red that Spain’s flag uses for its majority, it’s a striking image.
A similar lion is also used in the flag and coat of arms for one of Spain’s autonomous regions; Castile and Leon. As the largest within the country, it occupies a significant portion of the north-western region of Spain. Its history is also deeply tied to the country itself through the Kingdom of Leon, which was founded in the first millennium, and also incorporated a lion into its coat of arms. With the significance the image of a lion has in these different Spanish symbols, it would be hard to overlook when developing a game that incorporates the country in some way. This is especially true forthe real-world regions used byPokemonthat have historically incorporated real-life inspiration.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletwouldn’t be the first games to use the lion for some form of inspiration either. As a whole, the lion has been used in European iconography for millennia, andGen 6’sPokemon XandYtook place in the Kalos region (based on France) and had the Fire and Normal-type Pokemon, Pyroar. Its design appears to pull heavily on the lion figures used in heraldry, and could provide a good idea of what a new Legendary Pokemon based on a lion would look like in the future.
Given that the lion has often been used as a royal symbol, and violet is historically a regal color,Pokemon Violet’s legendary could very well pull on the same ideas of heraldry that Pyroar does. It would likely have a more intricate design and its lore would be more significant, but it could still incorporate some of the same influences. The current text design fromPokemon ScarletandViolet’s revealleans into this some as well, with the yellow-gold borders around their titles, another feature along with purple, red, and lions that have been heavily associated with royalty throughout much of European history.
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The Problem With Another Lion Legendary Pokemon
Despite how tied the lion might be to royalty, and its depiction in violet and purple color schemes might tie it to the new games, there’s a strong possibility that neitherPokemon ScarletnorViolet’s Legendary Pokemon won’t be based on the animal. Legendary Pokemon are intended to be special in the series, and many of them use motifs and inspirations that are unique to their duo or trio as a whole. IfPokemon Violet’s Legendary Pokemon were to be based on a lion, this would likely result in a design that’s physically similar in its attributes not just to Pyroar, but to Solgaleo as well, one part of the legendary trio ofPokemon from the Alolan region.
With this in mind, it makes using a lion-inspired Legendary Pokemon a significant move, and one that would be immediately noticed by fans. This is not to say that a new Legendary Pokemon based on a lion couldn’t be made unique, but it would be a tough maneuver to pull off. Because of how prominent Solgaleo was inPokemon SunandMoon, it has become iconic in its own way. A new Legendary Pokemon with a similar motif would find it hard to break away from the legacy of Solgaleo and the Alola region as a whole. This, in turn, could potentially have a negative impact on howPokemon ScarletandVioletare perceived.
However, the already two-pronged nature of the games, as well asPokemon’s past, could provide some wiggle room forPokemon ScarletandViolet’s Legendary Pokemon. For a long time, Dragon-type Pokemon have had an overwhelming presence as Legendary Pokemon, with Gen 3, 4, 5, and 6 all having Legendary Pokemon with the typing.
It’s not the same as a near-identical motif being incorporated more than once, but it does leave the door open a crack. Gen 9 might also signal areturn to form forPokemon ScarletandVioleteven while also using new approaches. This could mean the games continue to take the franchise in a new direction but are also comfortable readapting previous ideas with its story, mechanics, and even Legendary Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare set for release in 2022 on Nintendo Switch.
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