Exploring the secrets of Pokemon Concept Art

[@Subjectively]

Use my code "SUBJECTIVELY" to get $15 off your first Bokksu Japanese snack box! partner.bokksu.com/subjectively

[@Cybemon539]

16:31 I see what you did with the Unown letters here😉 Also, I like how you rendered each of the beta Pokémon into how Gamefreak would’ve rendered them in each generation.

[@slylanders1291]

That one Pokemon based on the fertility deity is a concept I myself adapted into a new Pokemon called Trumpetoid, a mono Dark type that plays music through its elongated nose like a flute or a trumpet and lulls enemies into sleep so as to make a getaway, or even steal things from people. If a Pokemon or a person is agitated, a Trumpetoid can play calming music to calm said patients. I even have an idea for a Mega Evolution where it obtains the look of a snake charmer with flaps of hair curling into a turban, sits with crossed legs, floats slightly off the ground like Mega Alakazam, and it gains the Psychic type.

[@birbmink740]

"Ruineye" could also work as a regional variant of Sableeye. The same way as Alola Vulpix, Nine tails etc...

[@StarLightGem]

i see more potential in a convergent evolution honestly

[@deltatoons2435]

The Pokémon art leaks were so fun to look through and I hope in the future they’ll reconsider some of those abandoned designs

[@Subjectively]

It seems like they often hold onto ideas and reuse them later on! Who knows which of these designs will resurface at some point in Pokémon’s future?

[@deltatoons2435]

@@Subjectivelypersonally the Gen 6 beta Flabebe line is beautiful to me and maybe could come back as a regional form

[@mayorglalie]

Inshallah my beloved peanut dino may yet again see the sun

[@chunkymonkey7983]

Probably not because they were leaked.

[@Surkk2960]

@@chunkymonkey7983 True, especially with the leaked data regarding why they didn't create a Flying type Eevee.

[@wind-flower]

I LOVE the Jun Okutani concept art. It's like a glimpse at a world where the Pokemon games had a totally diferent vibe and style. The "steel crab / scorpion" at 12:03 looks like an inspiration for the Metagross line.

[@TastyTempura]

Gotta love a little creature with a big weapon

[@carrott36]

I’m not so sure, the original was very gecko-looking and I’m somewhat disappointed it was reconstructed as just Sableye. I loved all the other designs though!

[@zeppie_]

Gotta be one of my favourite genders

[@holographic80s]

I personally fully believe the theory that the concept art at 14:36 is that it was meant to be Missing No turned into a canon pokemon. Someone mentioned that in a tweet when the design leaked and I can't unsee it.

[@HaughtyToast]

Oh yeah. The silhouette of the second image even has the sort of backwards L shape that Missing No. had.

[@Subjectively]

I heard about that while I was editing! I like that theory too, and I can totally see it

[@sinisternorimaki]

To me it kinda feels like a very early concept for the Regis.

[@everfluctuating]

imo the homogenization of the simi-trio is a disappointment compared to the concept art. what we ended up with feels more like an eevee situation where one pokemon can evolve 3 different ways, compared to a trio of similarly but separately evolved primates

[@Subjectively]

I agree, RIP fat Simisear :(

[@HaughtyToast]

The more I look at that longship pokemon design the more and more it looks like it got reworked into Lugia. It's got the same head and those stripes probably became the fin things on its back. It would certainly explain why Lugia is associated with the ocean to begin with.

[@Subjectively]

Oh maybe! I can see the resemblance

[@nuggit6480]

While I see the resemblance, Lugia was initially designed for the movie it appeared in. And it was initially called Pokemon X, with an “X” pattern on its belly. I think there’s a DYKG video explaining it in depth. So I doubt it.

[@HaughtyToast]

@@nuggit6480 The original design had that but they scrapped it clearly. They probably lifted traits from this one to make the completed version. Pokemon does that sort of thing a lot with its designs. Early versions of Nuzleaf had a flute nose which is similar to the original Celebi concept. One of the dex entries even mentions the flute nose even though it isn't there anymore. There was an old interview that said Giritina was originally conceived as a chimera as well. If you look at it's original design, it seems to have had parts of it used for Type: Null/Silvally which is also a chimera. Cleffa's early sprite has traits similar to an unused top-like pokemon that appeared on an old magazine which seems to have later become Hitmontop. Sometimes they just seem to really like certain pieces of designs and try to mix and match them. There are even more examples like this out there yet.

[@mrboost4186]

It looks like Dunsparce to me

[@KyleRavenborn]

My choice for Umeboato would be to pivot harder on the viking warboat angle than the dino and change the type language to Grass Dragon, sharper angles and skin that looked like wood grain. Give it a dex entry about having terrorized Perzerker colonies before teaming up to fight a common threat.

[@Subjectively]

Ooh I love the bit about Perrserker

[@rhysplaysvirtual]

A lot of gen 1 Pokemon were designed as sprites first, similar to the ones that intrigued you in Gen 5. IIRC that's how Atsuko Nishida actually designed Pikachu- as a sprite first that was later refined into the mascot we know today. :>

[@dragonicdoom3772]

Your idea for an alternate Thundurus would actually work really well with the gen 5 games' focus on the seasons. Instead of 3 (later 4) genies, what if we got one genie that changes form with the season? Enamorus is spring, Thundurus is summer, Landorus is autumn and Tornadus is winter.

[@Subjectively]

Now we’re talking, I like that idea so much more

[@Vrikrar]

That is literally perfect, and I'm mad that it's not the way it is.

[@hamburgerbroz6439]

1:56 consider the time saved!!! i will now sit here and wait until my bokksu order arrives; this will surely be a quick watching experience!

[@ChespinCraft]

As a pixel artist who doesn't know how to draw traditionally, sketching in pixels is definitely something I'm familiar with! It can sometimes be tough to recreate the feeling of something in pixel art purely based off of reference, and being able to sketch it out and then refine the lines and colors later is helpful much the same way I imagine it is for regular artists. It's also not only a restriction of the medium as is mentioned in the video! Even with non-sprite sketches available, a pixel art sketch can still be a useful tool to get started.

[@dragofelid]

As somone working on a fakemon region right now, i have all the pokemon of the region sketched but not yet lined and some not named yet. but i still have even OLDEER sketches from years ago that i've kept safe just in case. keeping the og sketches is fun and honestly such a great idea.

[@remor698]

14:42 I love the idea of creatively working your signature into a piece of art like that. Something similar I did in a school project once was writing out my name's individual letters in the shapes of random objects of a panoramic piece (or whatever a child's drawing of a town's edge with mountain landscape in the background + random shenanigans in the details counts as), so if you found all of them, you just needed to read them left to right to get back to my name. If you strike a fine balance particularly well, more or less like in the case of this pokemon design, you can make your name work double duty as a signature and detail work. You just need to manage to make it both be recognizable and spottable enough to work as the former while also being integrated into the piece naturally enough to work as the latter

[@mjkazi2273]

That caturne concept goes hard i love the pyramid head shape

[@jacobcoverdale2430]

the scrapped design you used for the sableye evolution it's really interesting since I've always imagined the rock next to it to be its tail

[@NerdyBenson]

While I think it was a rough draft for Lugia, I think Umiboato could be a fun counterpart to Lapras. Lapras being a more gentle ferry to carry people while this guy is a more domineering competitive rowboat used in races.

[@MGDrzyzga]

Re: the genie trio - you have me a bit intrigued by the thought of collapsing them into one Pokemon. I'd go about it a little differently - give it 3 formes it can change between - a Thunderus-like forme, a Tornadus-like one, and a Landorus-like one. Each looks a bit like the incarnate formes we know, but animations will show them "unfold" and slip out of the clouds when attacking, and you catch a glimpse of the more distinct Therian formes underneath. So yeah, 3 very different versions that pose as one another...

[@RCOLLINS1446]

11:04 - I actually imagined it as green and/or brown before you colored it.

[@Jack-sy8mr]

If I encountered your Kami in game I think ‘that thing’s so weird there must be something special about it’

[@moomooman6321]

12:03 This one in particular reminds me alot of my singing monster's old concept art. Something about this really creepy and grotesque, but also goofy beast invokes a similar feel too them, especially clamble's.chambers. (For those who know)

[@XorbityXorbGlowbe]

I know.

[@2psnopod]

That's exactly what I was thinking 😂

[@CreepyJournals]

I think it’s important to note that Gen 3 was when they wanted it to be more “Gritty and for older kids” so maybe those designs were made to be unsettling and somewhat scary before being made into Pokemon

[@macaronsncheese9835]

I've heard that the little yellow gen 3 guy with the red eyes was supposed to be a gimmick pokemon whose gimmick was when its evolution conditions were met, it would randomly evolve into any other pokemon, and honestly that's the one I'm saddest we didn't get, it would've been so fun.

[@Subjectively]

That’s insane, someone needs to mod that into a fan game

[@protocetid]

yes it’s why it was called Evolotto

[@Kane-dy3yy]

I LOVE THIS CHAANNEL!!!

[@cee_ves]

“i’m a gen 5 hater” we listen and we don’t judge… no matter how hard that is

[@fableagain]

We listen and we don't judge... I'm not a gen 5 hater but I _am_ a gen 5 legendaries disliker.

[@vivauvoom]

Genuinely am such a fan of that beta Simipour's design. It's such a minimal change, but its attitude and posture makes all the difference. had that been in the game it would've been a main stay at my gen 5 party for sure :( And of course fat Simisear is glorious we were so robbed.

[@neetaamburkar4691]

15:02 that looks like an ultra beast.

[@Aghul]

Sableye is one of my favorite pokemon designs so seeing your take on an evolution made me SO happy!

[@nicolassoriano2621]

although the sableye evo is cool, the concept of the beta sprite of Missigno as a real pokemon, of a pillar creature constantly trying to climb itself is too good to pass up.

[@roadkillbeauty]

Oml the rune frog thing I was thinking of a leopard gecko with a giant tail 🤣

[@quentin7670]

While I do agree with a lot of your criticism about tornadus, landorus and thundurus, I'm not a big fan of the new design having legs. It makes the cloud look like a diaper and the pokemon becomes a bit ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with a design being ridiculous, but I don't think that's what you were going for. That's just my opinion tho, keep up with your incredible work!

[@sseif123]

We're so back

[@dpeterson5630]

A Pokemon art book would be the most amazing thing ever!!

[@Vrikrar]

I have dreamed of one day getting a beautiful, several hundred page artbook for the trading cards one day, but I'd honestly settle for anything. Right now the only official product out there is a manga anniversary book, which is good, but not really what we're talking about here.

[@protocetid]

@@Vrikrarthere’s high res versions of the TCG art in the leak

[@Vrikrar]

@@protocetid Yeah but I mean something I can put on my shelf, not sifting through png's.

[@supercyc10]

I have a theory that while they scrapped boat guy, his design features did wind up carrying over into Lugia

[@Surkk2960]

RIP Komari, poor pot doll thing left on the cutting room floor. It's body design though does remind me of the 5th gen Pokemon Maractus who gives off a similar vibe to it.

[@panchampangoro4999]

13:30 I think it’s supposed to be slime that animates bones Like a morbid version of Ditto

[@protocetid]

best theory I’ve heard so far!

[@Syiepherze]

20:05 if they went through with these, I'd call them Pelturr, Bouldurr and Eldsterkurr (the last from eld/elder and Fullsterkur)

[@deondrex18k]

Its cool how some of these designs look so similar to your own art style 😮❤

[@BluePhoenix_]

21:40 as someone who is making a pokemon game himself, that's actually really similar to what i do. Especially when i have an idea, that i don't want to forget, i will just do a quick pixelart doodle amd save it for later. That's how i made my Fire/Fairy starter, which is based on the Ifrit (among other things). I made a little pixelart fire shy guy for the base form and then a thin masked figure for the final stage.

[@tristanescure7384]

I love this redesign of Thunderus ! This may not be what you wanted to hear but... I'd love to see you explore redesigns of the whole quatuor, giving each a more unique look !

[@thedapperdolphin1590]

The Smash Bros bit wasn’t from the leak. It was an old, somewhat obscure, Japanese article that got translated for the first time.

[@Jack-sy8mr]

I could definitely see Rune eye in the anime like jigglypuff following the gang around, causing mischief and blowing something up😂

[@Vrikrar]

Or it gets wronged in some way by team rocket and spends the next arc showing up to blast them off again.

[@2psnopod]

That unknown evolution concept had me thinking what if its not a beam style weapon but a sound based one that was amplified when they gathered possibly something like the sound pokemon

[@jasonpollak4629]

The sableye evo/gen 3 art seems like a fun “4 artists” video with truegreen… artists design explicitly non-pokemon creatures and then adapt them to the pokemon style.

[@danielstokes2127]

It’s nice to see the process cause it shows that your art or end product doesn’t have to be perfect at the first try!

[@Subjectively]

So true!!

[@davidgomez5032]

That two headed sea dragon with the wartotle flourish / courtroom wig hair is still one of my favorite Pokemon designs, real or fanmade.

[@curtisjones9372]

The turkey kaiju would have been my favourite gen 5 pokemon

[@wanderingrandomer]

Some of the most interesting and fulfilling artwork I've done is working on my own Fakemon designs. I really enjoy the refinement of the design process and can be super proud that I've explored all the options that have lead me to the final design. It's a real fun challenge and very rewarding to see something that is a worthy result of the iteration process.

[@evanmaus4794]

I heard the words concept art. You have my attention

[@helbeglin]

1:20 no way Cacturne was almost the Minecraft Creeper before Minecraft was even an idea

[@PikminBean]

Man I love that Sableye evo so much, genuinely some of my favorite fakemon design from you

[@domidoodleYT]

I think if an official art book is ever gonna happen, it’s real soon with Gen 10 on its way. Celebrating Pokémon’s history

[@RATZGobbler]

Would've loved to see Longship in Sword n Shield. Imagine the G-Max form for that thing. But you gotta make cuts as part of the process and not every good idea can come to mind. Side tangent: So Ive always had a problem with the narrative design of pokemon games where you run into a roadblock in the game and and you only need an HM to remove it. It's nice design choice but kind of dull when you can teach HMs at any level. I think a great iteration the formula would applying a souls like skill point leveling system that has moves with stat thresholds to make each mon more unique to their palyers.

[@DJCheese77]

it's a lizard and the pillar with the unown is it's tail 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@tewuranos2954]

Love the exploration/analysis of GameFreaks design process and Ruineye looks amazing. Hoping for one more video like this some time in the future as I feel there‘s still a lot that could be explored. Gen 6 had some great scrapped designs also, the Cassowary one is probably my favorite of the entire leaks

[@tjtomenes]

Any time I see a new Subjectively video, it makes my day even better!

[@Victor-yc8fd]

Can you show the Pokemon when you say their name? I understand english but I don't know their english names. When you say : "it looks like " It would help me a lot to see their design, so I can understand what you are talking about ! Nice video

[@nettlesandsnakes9138]

2:05 I think it’s far more convenient for me to just get up and get snacks rather than order a box form boxzo.

[@nuggit6480]

I would LOVE to see you bring new life to every scrapped Pokemon design we’ve seen thus far like as a mini series. Even if it’s in the style of the “Timburr” and Palpitoad. And I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the scrapped XY designs too considering they had a WAY better flamingo Pokemon just sitting on the shelf only to give us Flamigo 3 gens later.

[@harrygreen3412]

The gen 3 concept art feels like it was made for a post apocalyptic, horror creature collection rpg, which I would be 100 percent down for.

[@RandomDood1]

Man that scrapped Simisear was waaaay better then what we ended up with. It kind of makes me wish the Element Monkey's had more variety in body shape rather than all being the same design with tweaks.

[@zodayn]

I actually don't know how to draw but am making a fan game. So my process is very similar to these rough sketches. I started with a big list of what roles I needed sprites to fill and currently I'm drawing sprites. The fact the max resolution is only 96x96 is helpful since it compensated for my lack of line art skills. Not saying pixel art is easier by definition tho.

[@josiebianchi3481]

"Beta Gurdurr and Conkeldurr look unappealing" right because the final designs are SOOOOO much more pleasing to look at

[@muhammetemiraydin1459]

i love honking my conkeldurr's nose thank you very much

[@RodrigoSan5]

BEAUTIFUL CONCEPT AND ART!!

[@AgsmaJustAgsma]

Therapist: Fanged May is not real, it cannot hurt you. Fanged May: 12:52

[@aspenve]

Your last one is giving Yubel from Yugioh! Love your work ❤

[@manuelacarrillo7792]

Gen 5 has my favorite Pokémon but conversely, it also has my least favorites. Overall, I still live that gen. I'm a bit disappointed you guys didn't get to the gen 6 leaks. The concept art for that generation was so clean. I still think about that cassowary. Wished it was real.

[@protocetid]

I think you’re the first professional artist to make a video about the newest batch of proto Pokémon, and boy did I enjoy your analysis! Keeping speculation to an absolute minimum and crediting TCRF? A KZbinr after my own heart. You’re wrong about the Pokémon creation process starting off with concept art that is wildly different from the default Pokémon art style. What’s missing from the R/S development page on the TCRF page is a quote from Masuda where he shares that as Pokémania waned after gen 2, he felt a ton of pressure to prove Pokémon was more than a fad. My memory is really fuzzy and I’m having trouble finding the relevant interview. I remember someone else saying in a different occasion saying something like "there was a lot of experimentation with R/S to take the games to the next level." IIRC, that applies to the Pokémon designs as well. If the unusual concept art wasn’t an attempt to push Pokémon "forward," then the more realistic and less cutesy art was probably a result of the trend toward edgier design in the 2000s. GF made the right decision to maintain the core pillars of Pokémon design that were established in the 90s, which made for more timeless Pokémon. Don’t know if you missed it but there’s a half finished Sugimorized sprite of Psycho Dog in the sprite scratchpads. It suggests they did a lot more with the weird concept art than make Cacturne. Also some of the early sprites for gen 3 have a softer look and use pastel colors, what’s up with that? Please do another video on scrapped Pokémon. There’s plenty of material in there and I can’t believe how content creators don’t do anything with it other than reactions and other surface level observations.

[@qkazoo8806]

No love for Gen 5 :( But for real, these are awesome! I love the breakdown of each different approach you took from the leaks, finding what you're trying to achieve with each design and accomplishing it to the best of your ability! I want to be more patient with my art, and I'm working on it, but it's hard not to get discouraged early on. Thanks for another great video!

[@wafflehead15]

These posts always brighten up my day

[@rafaelramires5883]

7:42 that looks a Lapras evo. Also. Gives me Giratina Vibes.

[@Poxysocks]

Shoutouts to jack for turning leaked Pokemon design into mvc iron man level 1 sableye evolution thats so fire with the red with gold teeth 👹👹

[@Magdalena8008s]

The black stone thing looking one with runes on it is my favorite. I most definitely want to see that used in the future. Not sure how exactly theyd do it. We have "baby" forms. But it would be cool to see "old" Pokémon. Where certain Pokémon change super late in life. It may be a stupid idea. I just thought of it and who would be ideal candidates.

[@mattdownie9636]

I got bokksu for Christmas last year and it was really cool, definitely recommend (not a paid actor)

[@yellowknifealien9942]

What is lacking in umiboato design is basically what the smogon community did with Naviathan.

[@martytriesstuff8704]

Sableye will probably never get an evolution since it has a Mega ;-; but this one looked so cool, I love the runnic bazooka

[@timwoods2852]

I like the idea of a role reversal with the boat Pokémon. Sort of how Dragonite and Gyaradose are opposites to their irl counterparts (a Western dragon that has the temperament of an Eastern one and an Eastern sea serpent that has the temperament of a Western one). The viking ship could be a Water/Dragon that pretends to be friendly and fair passengers across the sea, but half of its trips end with the entire group of passengers "mysteriously" disappearing 😋.

[@jfcfanfic]

Can't believe my favorite Tropius was so close to receiving more love wth a three stage Pokemon...but then I wouldn't have gotten your banana Pokemon. Difficult decisions. 😅

[@MangoMixu]

Taking my time with my designs and not rushing is something I needed to hear. I have the bad habit of finishing a design for a character in one go and then becoming dissatisfied with it later, only to redesign it again and rinse repeat

[@zeppie_]

Yeah that's definitely not a bad thing! Sometimes you just need to take a break to get a new perspective, but it can also be a sign that you're improving as an artist!

[@MangoMixu]

@zeppie_ Thanks! that's definitely a more positive way to look at it hfhdgd

[@MGDrzyzga]

So my favorite among the leaks is the same gen 3 monolith Unown design as you. But I interpreted the beta differently than you, so your redesign lost the things I loved the most... To me, I read the monolith as part of its body. Like an erect tail in the right image. To make the left image make sense (which I admit is hard for me), I guess it's got cuboid and rectangular segments that can like twist and rotate. I imagine the monolith came first, and it was so saturated in mystic energies that it sort of pulled together a golem to propel itself.

[@viiranen]

defnitely could see umibotu being a lapras contrast pokemon. a pokemon made for WAR that carries a whole bunch of people on it's back, searching for a worthy foes across the seas. would defo need to be worked more. maybe a segmented armour on it's back that is perfect for fitting a whole bunch of pokemon vikings and a helmet that resembles that. im thinking kinda like lapras. but yeah this guy is great

[@sinisternorimaki]

23:20 Meanwhile, Latios and Latias looking away...

[@oppre55]

seeing the first simi trio compared to what we got is so sad! I feel like sage and sear were almost done and good to ship, they just needed a few more goes on pour. what a shame they abandoned them

[@wafflehead15]

I always find the Pokemon concept art as missed opportunities. They often are better than later designs.

[@MrMoyomi]

1:51 me who is eating a full plate of macaroni and cheese: 👀

[@rafaelramires5883]

13:28 Hi Proto Regidrago!

[@allisonarteaga4168]

Its interesting that the Gen 5 art team sketched the pokemon as sprites and worked backwards from considering that is exactly how most of the Gen 1 pokemon were made. I wonder if this was intentional or just kind of how the process went back then?

[@Subjectively]

It would’ve been a very authentic way to replicate the design sensibilities of Gen 1!

[@MrIljuha2000]

Ruineye is cool and all, but by looking at the initial concept i thought the creature was Unown's evolution, like how Zygarde works. Collect enough of them and you get a black obelisk eldritch deity type of thing

[@Subjectively]

That’s a cool idea too!

[@screamingbulb]

I really do wish they had an actual art book 😢 I bought their anniversary manga art book but it mainly had the cover art and not much commentary like other art books

[@darkninjafirefox]

I could see umiboto and lapras having a common ancestor

[@milov3154]

I'm now picturing a Runerigus variant that's unown tied

[@FTSFBS]

Peak vid

[@gekkArt04]

What brush you use? It's pretty nice and I would like to try design pokemon too

[@MaggotsTasteFunny]

Im pretty sure ruineyes original design had the rock as a tail

[@saphiretsubomikido4324]

Ruineye can be an evolution for a convergent form of sableye?

[@Jack-sy8mr]

12:55 Why does May have fangs?

[@leetri]

Because that's not May, that's Sapphire from the Adventures manga. She's a bit of a wild child in that, wearing leaves and stuff instead of clothes when she's out in nature, so the fangs add to that wild look.

[@orsonzedd]

she doesn't have fangs, just really bad teeth. Japanese people think shitty teeth is cute

[@konsta3220]

Ruineye rocks!

[@hugify4890]

LOVE YOUR CONTENT❤❤❤

[@nuclearcider]

5:51 I'm sorry WHAT !!? I literally have a design that looks exactly like that that I drew in like 2012 ish. Why am I only now finding out GameFreak had the exact same idea! Wth. Next, you're gonna tell me it evolves from a fish...