The starters for the 9th Generation Pokémon games could potentially have unique designs based on real-world animals. Pokémon have iconic designs and resemble all manner of creatures and objects, but even with 898 different Pokémon species, there are still some real animals that have never been adapted into the games. Gen 9 could use its starter Pokémon to show off new designs based on some of these unutilized animals.
The designs of starter Pokémon are arguably some of their most important traits in the games. Aside from their types, starters’ appearances are the only information players might have going into a new generation, resulting in some getting chosen for their looks. There are a number of animals with interesting appearances that could inspire Gen 9 starters that capture players’ attention. Here are a few examples.
A Pokémon based on a coyote could be Gen 9’s Fire-type starter. Coyotes can live in incredibly hot habitats such as Mexico and California’s Death Valley. If Pokémon Gen 9’s region is based on a country with a similarly arid climate, having a Fire-type resembling a coyote could make sense. Coyotes are already associated with fire in various cultures and stories, so their design could be fiery or cindered in appearance. Additionally, no generation has had a starter Pokémon with a canine appearance, so a starter with a coyote theme could stand out in that regard.
Pokémon Gen 9 Starters Could Be Based On Animals Never Utilized Before
![Pokémon Gen 9: What Real-World Animals Could Inspire Starters](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Pokemon-Liepard-Cheetah.jpg)
Gen 9’s Grass-type starter could be inspired by a cheetah. Certain species of cheetah stalk their prey in the grasslands of Africa, using their signature spotted fur to camouflage into patches of tall grass. Designers at Game Freak could emphasize this fact to create a cheetah-inspired Pokémon that is actually a Grass-type. The Pokémon could start off cute, looking like a docile cub, and eventually evolve to appear more like a predator. It could retain the distinctive cheetah fur pattern, but with a more plant-like appearance to suit its typing.
For Gen 9’s Water-type starter Pokémon, a sandpiper could be used as inspiration. Sandpipers are birds that often live by shorelines or other bodies of water to catch their food, so being a Water-type could make sense. Since there are many subspecies of sandpipers, the Pokémon could evolve from a more diminutive variety to one of the taller, long-billed types. Perhaps as the bird grows, its plumage could become more vibrant, or it could gain the sleek appearance of a bird of prey.
While there is currently no official information about the designs of Pokémon Gen 9, the Pokémon community has continued to make its own contributions. A number of fan-made Pokémon designs show that there are still so many creative ideas for Pokémon. Perhaps when Gen 9 is announced, some of its new Pokémon will be based on new and interesting animals.