Pokemon Fan Creates Impressive Regional Variant for Snorunt

A Pokemon fan has created a stunning new regional variant for Snorunt, reimagining the ice Pokemon as a shark and giving it a new evolution. The new version of Snorunt even cites some older scrapped Pokemon designs as inspiration.

The long-running monster-catching franchise boasts an immense library of different creatures throughout nine generations of main-series games. Far removed from the original set of 151 in the original games, Pokemon features a staggering 1,025 different creatures for players to discover and capture across three decades of games. Many of Pokemon’s most iconic critters have also inspired fans to create their own designs for new Pokemon, including a plethora of regional variants inspired by the different forms found in locales like Alola and Galar. Now, one Pokemon fan is giving Snorunt a new aquatic appearance.

Pokemon Fan Creates Stunning Water-Type Regional Snorunt

A Pokemon fan design shared by Reddit user Matratzfratz showed off a brand-new look for Gen 3 Pokemon Snorunt. The regional form, aptly given the name Marine Snorunt, swapped out the Pokemon’s normal orange and yellow tones for a sleek gray and black, shifting its design to be similar to a piranha or shark. The Marine Snorunt design also included a brand-new concept for an evolution named Shargrunt, which grows a pair of spiked fins and sports an anchor tail. The Snorunt regional variants came with new types as well, with Marine Snorunt boasting the Water-type and Shargrunt gaining Dark typing when it evolves.

The impressive artwork also included plenty of finer details about the regional variant’s design. A small blurb at the bottom of the artwork reveals that the Snorunt’s appearance was inspired by a pair of scrapped shark Pokemon, with Marine Snorunt inheriting the pointed head and fangs, while Shargrunt adopts an anchor tail from a past design. Marine Snorunt also includes a humorous Pokedex blurb, making a tongue-in-cheek claim that the Pokemon only kill five humans a year on average, jokingly comparing the total to Johto Gym Leader Whitney’s Miltank.

Pokemon’s litany of recognizable creatures has often served as an inspiration for the franchise’s most creative fans. Many Pokemon ROM hacks and fan games feature a multitude of fan-created Pokemon, often providing a new twist on some of the series’ most beloved designs. Pokemon fans have often taken its recognizable designs in a different direction as well, reimagining its critters in human forms, through LEGO bricks, and even creating airship designs based on Pokemon like Pelipper. Fans are also gearing up to discover even more new Pokemon in the near future.

The Pokemon Company finally gave Pokemon fans a glimpse into the franchise’s future during its 30th anniversary presentation. Game Freak officially unveiled Pokemon Winds and Waves during the annual Pokemon Day livestream, with the new games set in a tropical island region, said to be based on Southeast Asia. The trailer also gave fans their first look at Pokemon Winds and Waves’ starter Pokemon, showing off the Grass-type Growt, Fire-type Pombon, and Water-type Gecqua. Pokemon’s expansive roster of memorable creatures is set to grow even larger with the tenth generation of games on the horizon.