The Pokémon franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. It is no doubt a time to reflect therefore on the incredible achievements of the Pokémon Company, Nintendo and Game Freak, who have worked so hard on countless titles within this fictional landscape.
The most vital part of this gaming world is of course the Pokémon themselves. Players are constantly seeking to 'catch em all' but they certainly wouldn't want to if the designs were not compelling and unique. There's been some truly bizarre inspiration for Pokémon over the years, alongside some moments of pure genius which have led to the creation of iconic, cool characters.
Weird Concept: Trubbish
Who would have thought that taking a bag of trash, giving it some eyes and a couple of special abilities, would result in the creation of one of the most bizarre Pokémon in the history of the franchise? Well, Nintendo did indeed create Trubbish, who has always been the subject of much debate.
There's been a lot of unique inspirations for Pokémon and they don't always work. Unfortunately, trash is just a really strange idea; made all the more odd by its evolution into Garbodor. This character is perhaps one of the weakest designs of Generation V, although there's certainly some creativity in the way broken glass forms the teeth and the ties form the ears of the creature.
Cool Concept: Charizard
As a Generation I starter Pokémon, Charmander is certainly one of the most iconic characters of the series. Of course, as a dual fire and dragon type, this is a powerful beast to have under a player's control. Its design makes it so much more awesome though.
A fiery dragon is always going to be a cool concept for any character, much less a Pokémon. Its timeless design has endured across many generations and has maintained its place as a fan favorite. It's so simple as an idea, but so effective in the game. Its silhouette alone is instantly recognizable and its red and blue flamed versions are equally awesome.
Weird Concept: Vanillite
Sometimes new ideas are difficult to come by. It's definitely not a new concept to suggest that everyday objects could provide the key to perfect Pokémon designs. Food has even had its part to play, although no one expected an ice cream to be a source of major inspiration.
Vanillite and its evolutions Vanillish and Vanilluxe were introduced as part of the same Generation of Pokémon as Trubbish, V. It really is just a floating ice cream cone, which is quite an odd choice; extra scoops are added as it evolves. It of course at least makes sense to be an ice type!
Cool Concept: Spiritomb
Generation IV took advantage of the mysterious nature of the Sinnoh reason and created a Pokémon that was actually incredibly hard for players to find. Spiritomb was a ghost and dark type Pokémon and featured a truly original design.
Looking as if it was a floating portal on an ancient stand, this Pokémon was rare but not legendary. Its power was quite unbelievable and as one of the creatures that did not evolve, it made the Spiritomb all the more special for fans of Diamond and Pearl.
Weird Concept: Voltorb
Generation I contained a lot of experimental ideas, after all this was really the first big step into this fictional world. For some Pokémon the designs missed the mark compared to what was achieved in that initial Pokédex.
Voltorb and its evolution Electrode, were both examples of designs that didn't really deliver. These Pokémon were actually based on a Pokéball that players use. Ultimately that didn't make much sense though, with these electric types becoming pretty basic in terms of their visuals.
Cool Concept: Torterra
Torterra is another Generation IV Pokémon, this time stemming from the starter known as Grottle who happens to be an incredibly cute grass type. The combination of a tortoise and a beast of the land is completely brilliant.
This nature-loving Pokémon is both cool in its design and very effective in battle. As one of the three starter Pokémon, the character had to be completely compelling so that players would actually want to take their journey with Torterra. This is some of Nintendo's best work.
Weird Concept: Cubone
Cubone is actually quite cute in its design, but there's a far darker idea behind that smaller Pokémon. This Generation I design resembles a tiny dinosaur, which is pretty adorable. But the ground type Pokémon also has a strange skull on its head.
This skull is actually from the creature's deceased mother. He carries it round to remember the loss and for the skull to protect him. It's a very intense story for a Pokémon, especially compared to other creatures out there.
Cool Concept: Lucario
There's something very ethereal yet proud about Lucario. Another Generation IV design, this wolf-like creature is one of the most humanized Pokémon in the whole series; it's even one that has been shown to talk in the past.
With the upcoming Diamond and Pearl remakes on their way, fans are no doubt eager to play as Lucario once again; a Pokémon so cool that he was even included in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. As a fighting and steel type, this Pokémon offered up an intriguing combination of skills.
Weird Concept: Mr. Mime
There's something truly terrifying about the Generation I Mr. Mime. Mimes and clowns can often strike fear into many people anyway, but there's a certain level of creepiness that the Pokémon Company managed to achieve when they first designed Mr. Mime.
The fairy and psychic type has actually had many forms, even taking on a more ice-based design in the Galar region. It's quite humanoid, which is very rare for Pokémon and its live-action portrayal in Detective Pikachu was the stuff of nightmares.
Cool Concept: Ho-Oh
Ho-Oh is one of the most iconic legendary Pokémon in the series. First appearing to Ash in the anime show, the character appeared as part of the Generation II series of Pokémon. Its phoenix-like design has made it particularly memorable.
There's something about the spirit of this fire and flying type Pokémon, that seems extremely attached to the world of Pokémon itself. Ho-Oh is one of the most powerful and most incredible creatures in the games and any League Champion would be lucky to have it on the team.