Many Pokemon fans imagine their favorite Pokedex entries to have a different look, and one Houndour fan created an edited Pokemon without the skull mask. Pokemon Gold and Silver introduced another 100 Pokemon into the already established Pokedex of Gen 1, and many Gen 2 Pokemon are fan favorites, including Dark and Fire-type Houndour.
In Pokmon Red and Blue, the main dog-themed Pokmon were Growlith and its evolution, Arcanine, but Pokmon Gold and Silver changed that with Houndour, Houndoom, Snubbull, and Granbull. a little. Similar to Cubone and Marowak, with skulls on their heads to make them appear more intimidating, Houndour has a skull mask that offers a glimpse into the darker beauty it acquired during its evolution. While much fan art often interprets Pokedex entries like Houndour as new Pokemon region variants, one fan just wondered what a dual-type Pokemon would look like without a mask.
Reddit user PhantasmalFish garnered 1,000 upvotes on a post focusing on Generation 2 Pokmon Hounds, who can first be caught on Route 7 in Pokemon Gold and Silver. According to PhantasmalFish, they love Dark- and Fire-type Pokmon, and tweaked the design out of their curiosity, resulting in what they consider to be “goofy” comical appearances. The skull mask makes Houndour appear to be attacking a Pokemon called Mean Look, and its removal changes its perceived frown to be less intimidating.
In Hondour’s base design, the base of the skull mask is like an eyebrow leading to its nose, and there is an eyehole in the ornament, just above the double type’s own eyes. Without the skull mask, Houndour’s eyes are more outward facing, with pupils that appear almost cross-eyed, as its focus is usually on objects that cover most of its face. Although PhantasmalFish takes into account the changed dark attribute and fire attribute Pokmon, it still maintains a tough stance, and the cuffs on its legs still hint at the Houndoom that awaits it after evolution.
While it’s unclear how the skull mask is attached to the Houndour in the Pokemon anime and games, it’s likely innate and not as easily removed as PhantasmalFish’s fan art. Although PhantasmalFish’s Pokemon fan editor imagines the Hound without the iconic skull mask, there are several other similarly colored accessories that can be removed to reveal a version of the Pokemon that looks like a Rottweiler.