Is Pokemon Scarlet And Violet's Bellibolt Actually Inspired By Gold And Silver?
Many of today's adult gamers hold fond memories of "Pokémon Red" and "Blue." The same goes for the follow-ups "Gold" and "Silver." So, it should come as no surprise that many such eagle-eyed fans were able to catch a particularly interesting detail about a recently unveiled Pokémon, Bellibolt. As it turns out, this new Pokémon may have an intriguing connection to the "Gold and Silver" games.
Revealed by The Pokémon Company via a tweet, Bellibolt is set to make its debut in the latest installments to the franchise, "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet." According to the tweet, Bellibolt is an "EleFrog" Pokémon that uses the expanding and contracting of its large, round body to generate electricity. This is also one of the Pokémon that makes up the team of the new game's streamer Gym Leader, Iono.
Soon after the reveal, fans began responding to the tweet with their first reactions and theories. As it turns out, despite being an all-new Pokémon, Bellibolt may not have a completely original design.
Bellibolt and Politoed
The design for Bellibolt looks pretty familiar for fans who remember the original design for Gen 2's Politoed, which was eventually scrapped in favor of what eventually became Politoed's classic look. As noted by @hionfructose on Twitter, the beta version of "Pokémon Gold" and "Silver" featured a Politoed with a rounder design, a circular pattern on its tummy, and buggy eyes on the top of its head, quite similar to the newly-revealed Bellibolt.
Anyone else notice Bellibolt's resemblance to beta Politoed? https://t.co/WZFbI32qJ8 pic.twitter.com/9yjh0AsjU8
— HigherFructose (@hionfructose) October 14, 2022
Aside from Bellibolt's stubby little arms, rosy red cheeks, and a few other minor features, the two monsters look nearly the same. Fans on Twitter were quick to point this similarity out and agree with one another.
At this point, it's impossible to know if the developers actually based Bellibolt on the old "Gold and Silver" design or if all of this is merely a coincidence. Either way, just as fans were excited for Politoed all those years ago, they're now excited for Bellibolt and all of the new Pokémon to be introduced in "Scarlet and Violet."