Pokemon Fan Designs Water-Type Pikachu Variant

One Pokemon fan has put an aquatic spin on the classic Pikachu design, imagining what the Electric-type would look like with the Water typing. While the rumored “Pikablu” from the early days of the Pokemon franchise never came to fruition, this latest fan art shows the potential of a new Water-type Pikachu variant.

As the mascot for the Pokemon franchise, Pikachu is recognizable to many gamers, even those who do not play the games. Given its popularity, the Electric-type Pokemon frequently stars in fan art, with artists imagining new versions featuring different types. These reimaginings of the creature often put a new spin on the classic design and attract those who wonder what these designs could look like if incorporated into official games. While the odds of The Pokemon Company taking inspiration from fan art are slim, that has not stopped artists from sharing more creative designs.

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Recently, one fan artist known as Matratzfratz on Reddit created their own version of an aquatic Pikachu. Using Pikablu as the name, the design imagined a creature with a predominantly blue coloration. While it had a relatively similar appearance to the original Electric-type Pokemon, there were some key differences. For example, the Pikablu design changed the tail from the iconic lightning bolt to one made seemingly of bubbles. In addition, the creature had bulbous sacs on its face that resembled gills.

Pokemon Fan’s Water-Type Pikachu Variant

When sharing the design on Reddit, Matratzfratz provided a brief description of the new variant. According to the post, Pikablu was an ancient relative of Pikachu who lived before Pokemon inhabited land. However, the creature was “subsequently outcompeted by its land-dwelling, type-advantaged cousins.”

This Pikablu concept is not the first that fans have seen from Matratzfratz on Reddit. The fan artist frequently posts new artwork that imagines new takes on classic pocket monsters. For example, they recently shared a new chest form for Crustle, giving the Pokemon a treasure-themed makeover. In addition, they have designed many other custom variants for fans to check out on their Reddit page, such as a sad Diglett variant, a Steel-type Eeveelution, and much more.

While fans continue to create new artwork based on popular pocket monsters, many gamers are anticipating the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The upcoming game promises the return of the Mega evolutions, and many gamers have taken the opportunity to design their own versions of these powered-up Pokemon. As players wait for the eventual release of the Gen 9 game, time will tell what other Mega evolution designs are shared by Pokemon fans.