50+ New Beta Pokémon Designs | Space World 1997

[@TheJWittz]

Yes, I do know Tangrowth exists :P I wanted to talk about both Tangela connections at the same time, but doing so ended up putting pre-Tangrowth in the wrong section. Whoops!

[@MonkeySharkPro]

I really prefer the beta design over what we got for Tangrowth.

[@Deathbound13]

Haneko is almost literally "Flower Cat"

[@Usagi2380]

My favorite beta Pokémon are the bell cats Rinrin and Berurun

[@damienjarlen179]

...why did you bring up Nina? I thought I had finally wiped the traumatic feels from my head, but noooooooo. You had to bring it alllll back to me! Shame on you.

[@mikomakowski7907]

道神恵 mine too. I hope they come back for gen 8.

[@Spiderfog]

9:00 Turns out one of the people who worked at Game Freak later went on to work at the company that made Pon de Lion. It might have been the guy that initially designed Porygon2.

[@yellowpowr8455]

That'd be crazy if true.

[@laytoninc.7226]

This is a goldmine of Pokemon history! Porygon2 and Baby Meowth look adorable ❤

[@baatarbeifong7869]

I wonder if the original Porygon2 inspired sun--form Castform

[@Jw87563]

Fun Fact: the lion was based on the mascot of a donut shop chain. It was changed to both make more sense AND avoid a lawsuit

[@tdimensional6733]

"IT'S SPHERICAL"

[@BlueAmpharos]

I miss Drake and Josh.

[@RainbowMilk1996]

SpHeRiCaL!!!!

[@bonkeroooo]

I honestly think that Game Freak could reuse some old designs and incorporate them into the new Pokémon games

[@lisabarnes924]

Tina Deng *cough cough* the farfetch’d evolution *cough cough*

[@wikiuser92]

I think the bell cats got reused as Purrloin and Liepard.

[@fizzyegg]

The scrapped Tangela evolution could be a dark type branch off of Tangela, with Tangrowth being the normal level up evolution, and this one evolving through items.

[@thatoneuberedsoldier4505]

if there is no baby meowth in gen 8 i'm gonna riot

[@RhythmGrizz]

Me too!

[@thepokekid01]

Josh: "These Legendaries were named Fire, Thunder, and Water, clear placeholder names" Me: Thinks about Zapdose, Articuno, and Moltres's Japanese names...

[@Mngalahad]

josh pronounces mariru as ma-wri-wru so, cut him some slack.

[@claudiobizama5603]

Sandshrew Japanese name is literally "Sand"

[@ClefairyRox]

Similarly, Vaporean, Jolteon, and Flareon's Japanese names are Showers, Thunders, and Booster, respectively. Dishonorable mention to Umbreon being cursed with the name "Blackie".

[@wikiuser92]

The proto names were En, Rai, and Sui. They just extended the names to make them sound more original.

[@OneAndOnlyDanky]

And Krabby is just... Crab

[@futureaests2170]

I actually really like the potential porygon 2 and especially how different but still true to the line it looks. Gives me so many virtual, synthetic vibes. Would love to have a branched evolution for the gen 4 remakes with a successful porygon 3 being able to travel through dimensions.

[@WhoElseButZane]

please list every single detail. I am willing to listen to you for hours.

[@Sephiroth1204]

Ahhh thank you so much for using a couple of my pieces! I'm glad they helped :D It's always so cool to explore scrapped ideas like this and see how it all changed by the end

[@bekahchu4102]

Isn't Pangshi based on jiangshi? For those who don't want to read the wiki here's the first paragraph from it. "A jiangshi, also known as a Chinese "hopping" vampire, is a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. "Jiangshi" is read goeng-si in Cantonese, cương thi in Vietnamese, gangshi in Korean, kyonshī in Japanese, and "hantu pocong" in Malay and Indonesia. It is typically depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the Qing Dynasty, and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi, or "life force", usually at night, while in the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves.[1] Jiangshi legends have inspired a genre of jiangshi films and literature in Hong Kong and East Asia." That's the same kind of monster Chiaotzu from DB was based off of. It's a shame Pangshi isn't a pokemon in games rn I would love a spoopy vampire bear.

[@jouheikisaragi6075]

Bekahchu it could've been the time to introduce better draining moves

[@shadestained]

Neat! I liked it already but this glimpse of the mythology makes me want it to be real even more

[@InkMossDragon]

Bekachu yes, Pangshi is based off a Jiangshi hence the pun. But Hopping Vampire is the simplified English name

[@N6161_]

actually colloquially "jiangshi" is Chinese for zombie, which would also make sense.

[@shadowdragun]

Geez, no wonder Nappa mistook him for a pokemon

[@Apandah]

i was waiting for this!

[@nehozakuz]

apandah didnt expect to see you here

[@Funkmeister6604]

Didn’t expect you,Dad

[@jouheikisaragi6075]

Akihiko: "I've been waitin for this!"

[@Lanceolson4586]

larasati pramana I mean he made a whole vid gushing over the leaks

[@Masked_Dedede_]

apandah hello boi.

[@geminitourmaline3038]

Murkrow’s beta design looks like something straight out of Soul Eater And I freaking LOVE Tangela’s scrapped evo, Gelanla and that grin~ 💚

[@WyattoonsComics]

Oh cool! One of my drawings got used! Definitely gonna check out all of these artists. So much great work!

[@razzbexxa]

Ahhh your piece looked so good!! Your style is so dynamic and expressive-- keep up the great work!!!

[@CarlosDiaz-wp7sp]

I love Wolfman and Warwolf They are so cool and cute!

[@jenalef]

Carlos Díaz could they possibly not be them but wooloo and dubwool from gen 8 it looks a lot like them it is possible they were planned for gold and silver then they were changed to normal type

[@alexcelticw]

Remember at the begining of the GameGrumps Pokemon FireRed playthrough when they're on the Prof. Oak's introduction and he pulls out a Female Nidoran and Dan (I think it was him) does a scream? Every time I see Ditto's evolution I think of that scream

[@MrRom92DAW]

There’s a story going around that the designer of that Japanese donut lion actually worked for gamefreak prior to designing that mascot. He may have been responsible for “porygon2” and simply took his creation elsewhere when it wasn’t used.

[@potatolegs3505]

I really appreciate the Jwitts respects artists by giving proper credit and source links. It really puts me off when youtubers don’t do that.

[@nidohime6233]

6:15 I think is a panda with a chinese ghost/vampire custome.

[@justcuz8202]

Man, I remember discovering the old designs for gen 2... Girafarig, that weird cat-spinning-top thing, and now look. This comes out. I'm happy.

[@belbercike2344]

9:30 my heart did the opposite of Nina and Alexander, it broke into two pieces

[@MaxonerousX]

Nina and Alexander broke apart into more than two pieces when Scar found them

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

Maxonerous X bruh

[@pokeness686]

Always too soon... But I gave ya a like anyway cuz it made me lul

[@fable5467]

Is 7 years really too soon?

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

TheDragonFable what you mean, 7 years? it is more than that. try about 15 years

[@game84cube]

That face on that Ditto evolution... it's like he's screaming, but more like Finn from Adventure Time

[@TrueKoalaKnight]

My god, is no one bothering to go look at the information that was released by the team doing the data mining? Grotes evolves from Anchor. They are both Water/Steel because they are part of the same line. Manbo1 -> Anchor -> Grotes.

[@ClefairyRox]

Personally I think that Ditto evolution was reworked and eventually became Goomy. The first thing I thought when I saw it was that it looked like a screaming, spiky Goomy.

[@evanseifert8858]

9:40 Considering the legendary birds' Japanese names, this isn't too bad.

[@TrueKoalaKnight]

About Ledian's stars. In Japan the spots on a ladybug are referred to as stars apparently. The Early design just made it more literal. Also, it is interesting that this is not actually Ledian it was actually called Three-star.

[@BunniBuu]

The google doc in the description glitched up :(

[@joldsaway3489]

Just realized that Hoppip being able to learn Pay Day makes a lot more sense, given that it’s original design is more cat-like, and Pay Day’s Japanese name is “Coin for a Cat”

[@aquinprime]

OH THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER OF THAT SCENE WITTZ

[@patdav56]

I love how you mentioned the 4 star ladybug of doom. I love yugioh

[@ToonLinkMaster18]

I think that beta Leafeon is actually a beta Celebi, it’s even in the same Pokédex placement. They probably just tossed the design aside only to be reused and reworked for Gen 4 later on. That’s just my thoughts, though.

[@blackheart2728]

Could it be that originally, every pokemon was going to get a baby form as part of the introduction of the breeding mechanic but they scrapped it to save space?

[@Every1XplodeNOW]

I still think the early Leafeon design influenced Celebi's design later in development. For example, to me, Leafeon ears look similar to Celebi's head.

[@42Caio]

I think Rinrin and its evolution later became Skitty and Delcatty. Similar theme of cats and bells.

[@azurebalmung4520]

That branching evolution for Bellsprout should have been a thing, really. I mean, Oddish got one, and they're often compared as the early, 3-stage evolving grass types.

[@yuvalkrispin]

Where are you

[@sambarber944]

Okay in all seriousness, beta Remoraid and Octillery look FREAKING AWESOME!!! It even fits with Octillery's name, being Octopus + Artillery! It's a shame this was most likely cut to keep a kid-friendly rating :(

[@troydaddygaming8976]

7:45 that’s a dragon ball on a ladybug

[@crvo7119]

This video makes all those Instagram posts make sence...

[@A_Oda27]

8:16 "My eyes are up here."

[@EIDiabeetus]

The Farfetch’d evolution should be called Riduckulous.

[@lisasweeting9160]

Where are you?

[@SineDiego]

I'd so dig that beta Octillery becoming a Mega Evolution somewhere down the line!

[@cuthulhu6708]

the farfetch'd evolution excites me the most. hope they go through with it eventually.

[@YuyuHakurei]

Couple oversights. Baby girafig is clearly a baby gastly. Slowking hat is a shelder evolving into its alternative form without the slowbro. Also the shark is clearly just early Sharpedo. The anchor part isn't really important enough in the design to be a totally seperate design. Lastly the Weepinbell evolution isn't a alola form equivalent , but just an alternative evolution path similar to eevee and gloom. It's weird because you do reference gloom but then brainfart lol.

[@ThatOneMotherfucker]

They did my duck boi Farfetched' wrong with cutting his evolution. But i think Farfetched and Flygon would become best friends for a reason.

[@bartlebyblam8482]

@Pink Kirlia *sir'fetched wants to know your location.*

[@zackhughes7878]

Bartleby Blam I agree with you I like sirfetched

[@frownyclowny6955]

Zack Hughes oh, you mean white Farfetch’d? Ya know, the twin to black Farfetch’d, like a yin yang?

[@megaplays2748]

9:29 NO!!!!!

[@noHarmony1]

Pangshi, that vampire panda reminds me of those strange creatures in Super Mario Land 1. The hat, the stance, the jumping...

[@Bulzeeb15]

15:19 “Now get out there...” “And free...” “THAT!” “BETA!”

[@paxryderakakirbybisharp2310]

I actually have another thing to point out... In the beta of Gold with Onix, before the Metal Coat Based Evolution to make it into Steelix (my most fave PKMN) , it was originally going to evolve into a Steelix at LVL 38, as seen on Tcrf.net... I was kinda flattered seeing this piece of informatioj for real...

[@Jordan-tu4ki]

ITS SPHERICAL

[@teapottanuki5841]

The legendary dog designs are literally “fire dog”, “water dog” and “thunder dog” in the same way the birds are literally just “fire bird” etc

[@ZiggySeraphym]

I've had alot of fun messing around on the ROM file, its just so surreal

[@tai_you]

Says: "One teeny little eye" Shows sprite where the eye is like half the front of the Pokemon.

[@wizardgab2497]

The 3 Legendary Dogs, had there names like dogs. Watch TetraBitGaming's video about Pokemon Gold Spaceworld '97. The names of Fire, Water, and Electric are Ent, Sui, and Rai.

[@braedenmclean5304]

AH JWITTZ WHY! MY FEELS WITH THAT FMA CLIP!

[@dan_tr4pd00r]

"Fire, Thunder, and Water -- clear placeholders" This is where I'd like to point out that the Legendary Bird's Japanese names as they've appeared in every game since gen 1 are literally just the English words 'Freezer,' 'Thunder,' and 'Fire.'

[@hitkid2456]

Furthermore two of their names are the onyomi for their respective types... En = Honoo Sui = Mizu

[@dasutanehineri]

tbh i'd love for suicune's beta design to make a return as something else

[@victini9595]

I've been waiting for you to make a video about this and you didn't let me down! of all the baby pokemon designs, I love Beta Pichu the most. I like the Pichu we got but that round Pichu is adorable. I have a soft spot for those round designs lol. the Wolfman pokemon designs were awesome and I wish we got those.

[@biancamarsh1044]

Has any one noticed how the final version of Mantine has a remoraid under its wing. If remoraid is a gun that makes Mantine a fighter jet with guns under the wings

[@agamemnon7518]

Another upload FINALLY!!!

[@Biggerboo456]

I love that you put my brother's (Tairupanda) art in the video :D

[@DrPumpkinz]

Pinsir was originally going to evolve into a masked bug, huh? *Hollow Knight intensifies*

[@pheonixfireblazer]

I would love to see some of these designs cleaned up a bit and put into future games.

[@RuneBell]

Maybe in an alternate timeline this version of gold/ silver was released. wonder what pokemon they'd have now?

[@blackzero786]

2:22 its a tentaquil

[@The8BitLeafeon]

The baby meowth evolution is translated as "meowsy" and it's a shame that it was cut from the game. I really like the design.

[@Dynakirby63]

I really love the Warufu line's design. I'd totally be down with a Pokemon like that being official sometime.

[@nicolidesetages5082]

pls come back

[@Tatjana_L.]

Thanks for putting artwork next to the beta designs, because some of them are hard to identify. I really hope some of these beta Pokémon will eventually become real!

[@CroakPad]

I want the floofy fire bear instead of Cyndaquil.

[@SurrealKangaroo]

All these scrapped Pokémon are so cool. They should bring them back.

[@TheScoutCombine]

I find the backsprites of early Graveler, Gastly, & Weezing both hilarious & interesting.

[@royaldayz18]

The only strange thing about this is, if you look up spaceworld footage, The Ho-oh in this proto is different comparing it to the footage.

[@KurusuPanda]

Could you do an analysis of the world map? (It's ~90% complete and looks to be based on all of Japan! Makes me think the plot was to become national champion.)

[@rubberwoody]

i was getting snorunt vibes from that ice type

[@Hiushisan]

I Want that Anchor-Shark! Also, Tangela's Pre-Evolution Looks like the classic anime character Kitaro.

[@MrBaldi-ve1xv]

Jwittz is still alive? Man what a legend. What have you been up to 😂

[@WhoElseButZane]

gen 4 is like the fully realized gen 2

[@velocium1997]

Im the 151st like. Im mew.

[@DestructX]

9:30 Edo-wado Didn't know Nina was supposed to be a legendary water chimera

[@snakestaffmagic4499]

9:46 hey at least they look like legendary "dogs" rather than 2 big cats and a....dog??

[@silversonic1]

It's amazing when you get to see something like this suddenly pop up out of nowhere and pretty much change what's commonly believed by Pokemon fans. I think it also goes to show how much planning eventually went into the franchise. Based on a number of changes, such as Remoraid and Octillery(whose designs changed, but their names still reflect those looks), it's pretty clear to see that localization was in the works for quite a while before even releasing in Japan. Personally, I see the Gold and Silver demos as a potential "What if?" scenario. What if Pokemon didn't catch on in the west? How many of these designs would have stayed the same, rather than changing to fit international standards? BTW, given the information, Remoraid is likely a portmanteau of remora and raid. Because raids are rapid attacks and can involve guns. Or bombs. Which Remoraid technically is either one once Mantine's involved.

[@mahaok1]

This is why I love the pokemon community. A new game gets announced out and we're all excited about 20 year old sprites! Shout-out to the artists by the way, some of that art is incredible! No doubt these designs will find themselves in fangames soon enough!

[@razzbexxa]

It was super cool seeing so many of my fellow Pokemon artists featured in such a creative video about one of my favorite Pokemon topics of recent memory. Great video!!!

[@thelonelykloud7435]

They need to make all of these in the games. LIke Alolan forms mega, pre, and post evolutions (BTW that ditto looks like screaming Finn)

[@SSJ22Terris]

The fur coat ones are some of my favorite pokemon designs! I hope they come back!!

[@senabea]

You forgot to mention that Tangela does have an evolution now, so it's more like a beta Tangrowth!

[@ThePokemaniac77]

The pinsir evolution looks awesome..

[@amirgarcia547]

Tons of Pokètubers have made vids on this topic. But, the one that I was truly waiting for is Papa Jwittz!👏🏽

[@mothhunter2337]

9:41 I’m glad these aren’t final because “water” is rock hard and has three legs

[@cyndaquiltrainer]

I'm so happy that they changed it to Cyndaquil. The first fire starter design is so cute, sure, but Idk where I'd be without the Stubby Quiller.

[@Rhinogradentian]

I honestly thought Madame was a pop-singer and had a Loutus-stalk as a microphone, it would make sense.

[@ThrowingBman]

13:07 This is more of a sprite for Slowbro's little friend attached to his tail. Not really Slowking's head.

[@Crystalitar]

Waiting for this when i saw you were talking about making a vid on twitter. I also rlly appreciate the backstory intro

[@FADEDMIRAGE]

The "Turbon" might be connected to the one everyone says is a lickitongue evolution; as that one to me looks like a slowpoke evolution that had the shellder removed from it's head and lost it's slowking intelligence

[@quirkyflygon6740]

Was waiting for you to do this :) My favorite is definitely also the Mantineish one

[@drasconboy6349]

Entei’s OG form looks awesome as does Cyndaquil’s wish they would implement them

[@SSmotzer]

The reason why they didn't go with a bear fire starter is because they wanted to establish a theme for all of the starter Pokemon. The grass Pokemon are all ancient animals, with dinosaurs, and extinct giant animals, which is probably why Bayleaf was changed to be more of a dinosaur, than a leaf. The fire starters are all part of the Chinese Zodiac, which does not include a bear. And water starters are all animals that are semi-aquatic.

[@Technocolor00]

When these sprites started popping up on my twitter and tumblr feed I thought Nintendo had actually released them maybe because some of the designs were going to be used for 8th gen. I was really surprised to learn these were from the actual demo ripped by fans. I guess that means a cartridge was taken by somebody working at Spaceworld 97 or a similar event

[@HissinSpit]

They're spherical. *grabs shoulders* SPHERICAL.

[@Sailor11Sedna]

Never, in all my years, did I suspect that the Pokemon company had a cutting room floor.