A Pokémon fan has created an incredible mecha-style version of Rayquaza, whose name can be hard to pronounce for some fans. Native to the Hoenn region, Rayquaza is one of the region’s three super-ancient Pokémon, also known as the Weather Trio by fans.
Rayquaza played an important part in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, being the key to saving the planet from a falling meteorite in the Delta Episode. This leads to the player’s encounter with Deoxys, echoing the conflict between the two seen in the film Destiny Deoxys. Lore encountered in the games even suggests that Rayquaza was the first Pokémon to ever achieve Mega Evolution, although the same is also said of a Lucario in Kalos. In more recent times, Rayquaza has appeared in a Pokémon UNITE map, the Theia Sky Ruins.
Now Reddit user shunixe has put a new spin on the popular Legendary by redesigning it as a mecha. The viewer is greeted by an amazing high-tech machine that looks like it would be perfectly at home in a dramatic sci-fi film like Pacific Rim. The entire illustration is full of incredible details, from segmented armor panels to a robotic equivalent of muscles visible in the Rayquaza mecha’s coils. Instead of the normal Pokémon’s yellow eyes, this mecha’s equivalents are a brilliant blue, further adding to the robotic overtones. The image is both incredibly distinct and immediately recognizable, proof that the mecha is accurately modeled after Rayquaza’s in-game appearance despite the obvious differences.
Reddit Artist’s Reimagined Rayquaza Makes A Dramatic Impact
This Rayquaza mecha has clearly gone down well with fans, with the design having quickly received over 12 thousand upvotes on Reddit. Many comments even note a resemblance to the titular robotic animals of Zoids, a Japanese mecha franchise. It is also worth noting that this is only the latest entry in a series of mecha-style Pokémon illustrations produced by shunixe, with previous works featuring Pokémon like the Legendary beasts of Johto (Raikou, Entei, and Suicune), as well as several of the fan-favorite Eeveelutions. The popularity of this artwork is comparable to other fan-made redesigns of Pokémon inspired by Japanese media, such as the way some Pokémon have been reimagined as kaiju; titanic monsters which follow in the footsteps of Godzilla.
This Rayquaza mecha is entirely unique, but at the same not so much that it has become irrecognizable. Instead, shunixe has been able to portray Rayquaza in their signature mecha style without sacrificing any of the Legendary’s most familiar design elements, such as its green scales and serpentine body. As a result, Rayquaza has lost none of its majesty as a Legendary Pokémon in this new form, and its robotic overhaul has arguably only enhanced its appeal. Having seen how this mecha fan art presents a jaw-dropping take on Rayquaza, many Pokémon fans will doubtless be eager to see what shunixe comes up with next.
