As the dust settles after the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield's newest DLC, The Crown Tundra, fans are sharing opinions about some of the new content added. One of these trending topics surrounds the new Galarian design for the Legendary bird Zapdos, a longtime favorite powerhouse Pokémon that has held the hearts of many fans since the original Pokémon games. Many Pokémon Sword and Shield players find a new look may not have been the best choice for the beloved electric bird and are voicing their thoughts on social media.
One of Galarian Zapdos' main issues is its new typing. The Galar-region take on this Legendary bird switched out its Electric/Flying type for Fighting/Flying. The original typing made it so that going up against Zapdos was a real challenge, as it was only weak against Ice and Ground types. With a mixture of powerful Flying- and Electric-type moves, Zapdos was a bulldozer on any team. The new Fighting/Flying type has greatly reduced the effectiveness of the Pokémon and removed its durability.
Another factor that has many Pokémon fans taking to social media to share their frustrations about Zapdos comes down to design. While the bird is still a Flying type, it can't actually fly. This makes the Flying type seem obsolete. Its geometric design in the Kanto region has been replaced with something more resembling a roadrunner, and players are forced to chase after it in order to catch it. While this makes its design more in line with its new Fighting type, many fans might feel the once-majestic Pokémon has receded to nothing more than a chicken or a watered-down reference to Final Fantasy's Chocobo.
Why Pokémon's Galarian Zapdos Gets Hate On Social Media
The biggest struggle that Galarian Zapdos faces, however, is that there was nothing wrong with Kanto's Zapdos design to begin with. The well-loved, powerfully typed Legendary has had a solid fanbase through every generation. Improving on something that is already well-rounded and liked by fans doesn't leave room for much in the way of improvements. With the standards so high, releasing a design that would wow players was likely a daunting task for developers from the start, and drawing criticism from fans was inevitable, regardless of how it was done.
Sometimes changing a Pokémon's design for a new region can give it a brand new appeal for players, like with Alolan Vulpix. However, the Galarian take on Zapdos seems to have created more hate than hype when it comes to Kanto's beloved bird. While The Crown Tundra's Legendary Tree quest updated the three Legendary birds for a new generation, the controversial choice appears to be a mixed success with fans. Pokémon Sword And Shield's new DLC has tested the water with updates to older concepts while experimenting with new mechanics, but as for Zapdos, the opinion might be that something never broken may not have needed fixing.