Predicting Alolan Form Pokémon

Pokémon Sun and Moon has surprised fans on multiple occasions. First there was the announcement that we would be able to transfer Pokémon over from Pokémon Red and Blue via Virtual Console and Pokémon Bank, then a whole bunch of Pokémon were shown off in all sorts of highlight videos since E3. Most interesting of all has been the showcasing of brand new "Alola Form" Pokémon.

While there's already been a handful of Pokémon that have had forms in the past, Alolan Form Pokémon are unique in that these changes are drastic compared to those in the past. That got me thinking: what's a new feature without some speculation?

Today we're here to check out what fully evolved Pokémon still haven't had an Alolan release, and consider possible changes as to why they might have their new typings and abilities. To do so I took the following into account:

• The Alolan Forms have been exclusively Kanto Pokémon
• For the most part they completely change the typing of a Pokémon
• They always have an explanation for why the Pokémon have these changes
• The Alolan Forms tend to reference old games, the Pokémon anime, or other Pokémon media
• None of them have Mega Evolutions
• Legendaries don't have Alolan forms
• They also tend to be Pokémon with evolutionary lines that have been somewhat ignored since the first generation of Pokémon games were released

As a personal rule, no Pokémon that are man-made or are created due to circumstance will be considered for this list. Their Alolan Form should also have a reason for existing in the first place. Of course, there's always the possibility that these rules might be changed in the future as more news rolls out.

With this in mind, though, are you ready? Then let's check out some of these possibilities!

Butterfree - Kamehameha Butterfly / Orange Islands

When Ash and Co. traveled around the Orange Islands in the Pokémon anime back in 2000 they stumbled upon a strangely colored Butterfree. While Butterfree is typically known for having white wings, this one had yellow wings with an orange spot. While the orange is much more pronounced on the real world Kamehameha Butterfly of Hawaii (named after the Royal House of Kamehameha, and not the Dragon Ball move), it would be an interesting design change.

This new Butterfree could take on an Electric/Bug typing or maybe Fire/Bug. As for the reason it took on this coloring, it could be that it was crossbred with the Archipelago Vivillon from Pokémon X and Y. It's a bit of a stretch, but it could be a result of an offering to the royalty of Alola, similar to the Monarch Butterflies of our own world. If they went with Monarchs as the inspiration, Hawaiian Monarchs are known to have low amounts of toxins in them, possibly changing Butterfree into a Poison/Bug!

The possibilities for this Pokémon are fascinating!

Raticate - Black Rat

Yungoose is a Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon that can be directly associated with mongooses, which were originally introduced to take care of the invasive rat population. This, of course, failed spectacularly. In the Pokémon world, however, it could be argued that the reason why the Alolan Raticate was so tough to beat was because its typing outmatched the Yungoose that were sent to e-raticate them!

Considering the fact that black rats are one of the main troublemakers in Hawaii -- aside from the Asian Rat -- I would say that this would act as the inspiration. The Alolan Raticate would then be a Dark type to reflect its new color, and it would make a whole lot of sense seeing as Dark type Pokémon have often been associated with higher defense and such. It would also be interesting to see Raticate become one of the few offensive Dark types, as it is one of the higher Attack and Speed stat Pokémon in the early game.

(Black Rat Photo taken by Alexey Krasavin, retrieved via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Arbok - Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake

Interestingly enough, Hawaii actually has its own subspecies of cobra known as the Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake. While it's by no means similar to the cobras we are used to, it's quite possible that Arbok would take on a Water/Poison typing to adjust to the abundance of water that Alola has.

One reason for this could be that Arbok was simply incapable of relying solely on land-based prey to satisfy its appetite. It could also explain why Raichu might take on its Electric/Psychic typing as it would now be able to counter the evolutionary change of Arbok.

Food - or in this case - prey for thought...

(Snake photo retrieved via Wikipedia)

Parasect - ???

I know Pokemon is a game for kids, as much as it is for the long term fans, but hear me out when I say this: Hawaii allegedly has an orgasm inducing mushroom. Now, I know this is a stretch, but I think that this could work as a means of getting us our first Bug/Fairy Pokémon.

According to a running story, John Halliday and Noah Soule found a fungus that allegedly induced a powerful female orgasm in an instant. While it has since been proven untrue, the concept might be enough to inspire a Pokémon that induces "good dreams". Considering the more adult-themed Pokédex entries that Generation I gave us in Red and Blue, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this worked.

Maybe the Bug/Fairy adaptation could be rationalized by Parasect's need to feel wanted by the human and/or Pokémon populace? If Raichu can become a Psychic type because of sweet and fluffy pancakes, I don't see why Parasect can't do the same!

Venomoth - Black Witch Moth

While not native to Hawaii itself, Black Witch Moths can be found amongst the islands. The name of the inspiring creature already leads me down the path of a Dark/Bug Pokemon, but I'm not quite sure how Venomoth could evolve into something inspired by this insect.

Considering the volcanic activity in the area, maybe Venomoth took on a darker appearance to blend in with the cooled lava? It would make for a long shot seeing as Bug types and Fire types are natural enemies, but maybe the higher special defense that Dark types tend to have resulted in this evolution?

It's another stretch of the imagination, but quite possible.

Primeape - Pinkan Berry Primeape

A reference to another episode of the Orange Islands series, a number of pink Primeape and Mankey were spotted in the unfortunately named Pokémon episode "In the Pink" had an island filled with pink colored Pokémon. The pink color was actually caused by a berry called "Pinken Berries", and while they didn't change anything other than a Pokémon's natural color, it makes for an interesting concept similar to the design choice of Alolan Raichu looking similar to Puka from the episode "The Pi-Kahuna."

With some obvious design changes aside from simply making it pink, I think that a pink Primeape would make for an interesting Fighting/Fairy combination. The lore would be similar to the Pokémon anime episode with the alteration that long-term exposure to the berries changed the Primeape species' typing. It also helps that an overwhelming majority of the Pinken Island Pokémon seem really happy for some reason.

It would also be pretty cool to see a Fairy/Fighting typing, given that there are none as of yet.

Golduck - ???

A Pokémon that seriously needs a typing adjustment, but has no means of achieving it lore-wise, Golduck has been mistakenly believed to be a Water/Psychic Pokémon since it first appeared in Pokémon Red and Blue. This is the result of its Pokédex entries, learnset, and even its design reflecting such traits. In reality, Golduck has only been a Water type since Generation I.

This is a Pokémon that doesn't really have an excuse to have a new typing in Pokémon Sun and Moon, but it would be great if an Alolan Form could finally fix this.

Arcanine - Fire/Flying

Ninetales and Arcanine play similar positions in Red and Blue, so it got me thinking... If that's true, why not differentiate them in Sun and Moon? The result? A Fire/Water dual type Arcanine! It would make a bit of sense according to the lore too.

While this image comes from DeviantART user Viper-mod's Pokémon splices, I actually came up with the idea of a Fire/Water Arcanine from an old Pokédex entry from Pokémon Stadium:

A Pokémon whose beauty is legendary in China. It is said to run gracefully and lightly, as if it were flying.

While Arcanine doesn't literally fly, maybe Arcanine in Alola developed the ability to fly as a means of getting from island to island by taking on a lighter, perhaps more gaseous form (i.e.: steam)? Considering the number of hot environments Alola's bound to have, I'm sure at least one would be able to make this evolution a possibility somehow!

That, or I'm literally blowing steam...

Spiral Shellder Form

It's a widely known fact among Pokémon Trainers that Shellder clamps onto Slowpoke's tail and becomes a Slowbro. What doesn't make sense, however, is the shape that Shellder suddenly takes. To explain this away, maybe an Alolan Shellder is the form that the clam-like Pokémon takes when it bites onto Slowpoke's tail?

An explanation as to why Shellder takes on this form in Alola could be that the waters in certain areas of Alola give off the same chemical that Shellders are looking for when they bite Slowpokes. This would possibly change Shellder into a Psychic/Ice type (reflecting the gain of Psychic typing originally), or possibly a new typing altogether.

Kingler - Hawaiian Ghost Crab

Kingler would make an amazing Water/Ghost Pokémon. With an amazingly high attack stat, Kingler would finally be able to break out of the lower tier brackets and take down opponents that it otherwise couldn't as a solo-Water type. It would be a great typing to have for balance as well, since at this moment there is only one other Pokémon species that shares a Water/Ghost typing -- the Jellicent evolution chain which is rarely used in competitive, and acts only as a defensive Pokémon.

As for an explanation, it could be that Kingler took on a Ghost/Water typing to escape from predators in Alolan waters. While it typically feeds on easy water prey in Kanto, the introduction of Kingler into Alola resulted in a need for it to adapt in order to survive. This would be somewhat similar to Corphish's evolution chain as it needed to survive predators such as Sharpedo.

(Ghost Crab image by Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0)

Weezing - Volcanic Fumes

Volcanoes are toxic in nature, and what better Pokémon to eat up those toxins than Weezing? While Weezing is already found on the volcanic island of Cinnabar, maybe Alola's volcanoes are much more toxic in the deeper parts of the mountainous volcanoes? Since Weezing is typically explosive by nature, the Pokémon had to adapt to fire, and as a result took on a Poison/Fire dual-typing.

The image above was retrieved from deviantART user Phatmon. I must say, it's exactly what I expected from a Fire/Poison type Weezing. While it was originally designed as a Mega Evolution, maybe their design will be on the money for a future Alolan Form Weezing!

Tauros - Feral Hawaiian Bull

Another Normal/Dark possibility, Tauros would take after feral bulls in Hawaii. Other typings I could imagine this Generation I bull taking on include Normal/Fire, Normal/Rock, and more.

The reason for Tauros taking on a dual type would be similar to how Hawaiian Bulls went feral. Since they were no longer tended to by humans, the feral Tauros adapted to survive the Alolan climate. Their already aggressive tendencies were compounded, and resulted in a Normal/Dark or Normal/Fire typing. In the case of Normal/Rock, it could be that they were hanging out in the desert or mountainous regions found in Alola.

That's it for this Alolan Form predictions list! There's still plenty of other Pokémon that could take new forms in the Kanto Pokédex and elsewhere, but based on the patterns so far these seem to make the most sense so far. That's not to say that there might not be more! There's over 60 fully evolved Pokémon in the Kanto Pokédex, so now I turn the spotlight to you, Pokémon Masters!

What Pokémon do you think should take on Alolan forms? What reasons would they change for? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!