A creative Pokemon fan recently took to the Internet to share the original design of their impressive alternative form of Torterra, the final form of Turtwig, the grass-type Pokemon that debuted in the Sinnoh region. While the design is original, it does share some beats with another fan-favorite Pokemon, Blastoise, which many fans of the Pokemon series will likely enjoy.
Turtwig is widely regarded as one of the better starting options in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which is unusual for a starting Grass-type Pokemon. Torterra first appeared in Generation 4 of the Pokemon series as the final form of Turtwig and has appeared in other Pokemon games such as Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Although Torterra has been around for many generations, the design of Pokemon has remained largely the same.
Reddit user HalfgoblinHankins posted their own take on Torterra, showing a design that leans more towards the Sinnoh region to enable Pokemon attack capabilities. This take on Torterra would evolve from Grotle after the Pokemon mastered the bite attack. The most notable feature of the Fan Figure is the bipedal Torterra, rather than the actual design of the creature on all fours like earlier forms. The different plants on the creature’s back are also shown in the fan art. Instead of the tree on Torterra’s back, HalfoblinHankins’ original design for Pokemon featured two Venus flycatchers on the creature’s back, similar to the twin water jets on the fan-favorite Pokemon Blastoise’s shell.
If Grotle masters Bite, it will evolve into another form of Torterra! [OC] by u/HalfgoblinHankins In Pokemon HalfgoblinHankins’ designs playfully incorporate original ideas and inspiration from the Pokemon series. While their design details are clearly reminiscent of earlier Pokemon, the drawings themselves help differentiate Torterra from the official game’s Grass type, as well as other Pokemon in the franchise. It’s an interesting take on Pokemon that helps showcase Torterra’s untapped design potential. Another interesting takeaway from the design is that it happens after a Pokemon masters a specific move, a gameplay mechanic that hasn’t been used in the Pokemon series yet.
While branching evolution has been a feature of Pokemon since the original games, the idea of changing a Pokemon’s design based on its mastery of certain moves is a unique one. Game Freak generally does a good job designing its Pokemon, especially in later forms that players can unlock, but sometimes fans like HalfgoblinHanks offer up impressive alternative designs. HalfgoblinHankins’ take on Torterra is an interesting redesign of Pokemon that has its own evolutionary criteria that help set it apart from the actual designs in the Pokemon series.