A Reddit has shared the results of his experience drawing all the fanart that the games have inspired over the years.
If there's one thing Pokémon fans are ionate about, it's the creatures themselves. Everyone has a favorite, and everyone has at least some kind of opinion on any given Pokémon in the series. A lot of factors must be taken into when it comes to any given Pokémon, but perhaps the most important is the creature's appearance. For strong evidence of just how vital a Pokémon's appearance can be to its popularity, one need look no further than the recent Galarian variation of the legendary bird Zapdos. While the bird's original form was an awe-inspiring airborne menace, the redesign confines the creature to the ground and gives it the lanky appearance of a roadrunner. This reduction in stature has led the bird to be mocked by fans on social media, proving how important it is for a Pokémon to maintain its look.
One fan on Reddit has demonstrated the importance of visual design in Pokémon in a very distinct way. Reddit Half-Goblin Hankins undertook an attempt to draw every single pocket monster from the first two generations of the franchise from memory, with no visual reference whatsoever. The generations were done in two batches, with a very important message to send.
The amount of effort that went into this project is hard to overstate. 251 Pokémon have been remade in this collection, which explains Hankins' remark that his hand hurts even after gen 1 alone. It's a stirring testament to how far fans will go to commemorate and celebrate these beloved creatures.
Not many video game franchises can match the legacy of Pokémon. Not many have the enduring legacy, the tremendous marketability. One would be hard pressed to find another game series that also boasts a trading card game and an animated television series, both nearly as prominent in popular culture. As fans like Half-Goblin Hankins prove, there's a lot to love about Pokémon. Even if one can't draw it perfectly from memory.
