List of generation II Pokémon
Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.
This resulted in many second-generation species being related to earlier ones, or reviving designs scrapped from Red and Blue.
[12] Pokémon Gold and Silver were first revealed at Nintendo Space World, a live trade show event, in 1997.
[21] Some scrapped designs are believed to have later been reused for future games such as Tangrowth, Sharpedo,[22] Leafeon and Lickilicky;[16] however this has not been officially confirmed.
Many entirely unique designs with no association to other species were also discovered, such as a flaming seal, a doll impaled with a nail that evolves into a panda-like being,[22] a Dark-type cat evolutionary line, and a shell Pokémon that bares resemblance to shells on the tail and head of the Pokémon species Slowbro and Slowking respectively.
Aside from Chikorita, both the Fire-type and Water-type starters were different species instead of the Cyndaquil and Totodile lines chosen in the final game.
The Fire starter was initially filled by Honōguma (translated into Flambear for the English version),[26] a bear-like Pokémon that slightly resembles Pikachu.
The latter leak, dubbed the Korean Index due to being discovered within a Korean backup file,[29] featured more previously unseen scrapped designs such as Pokémon based on a koala, snow rabbits [ja] (雪うさぎ), a Viking longship, as well as designs resembling early versions of later generation species Chimecho and Burmy.
[46][47] In the Pokémon anime, a Cyndaquil is captured by protagonist Ash Ketchum and acts as a recurring character in the series.
[53][54][55] Following an information leak, an unpublished story depicting Typhlosion standing in for the badger Mujina in its respective tale from Japanese folklore was made public.
Due to the leak depicting Typhlosion having romantic relations with a girl, it caused an internet meme within in the Pokémon community.
Both Ledyba and Ledian's appearances differ slightly depending on gender, with females having shorter antennae than males.
[88] Pichu has a smaller body and larger head than Pikachu, with large ears, a small tail, and a patch of fur around its collar.
[91] In the beta of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pichu was rounder, appearing more ball-like, with shorter limbs and pointy ears.
It was considered a "joke character" in that game due to its weak fighting abilities, but its reappearance in Super Smash Bros.
[35] According to Gold and Silver's English translator, Jeff Kalles, Xatu's name also derives from "Xat",[116] a carved totem pole acting as a memorial for the dead in certain Native American civilizations in Western North America.
[35] In Scarlet and Violet, Paldean Wooper instead evolves into a different Pokémon that greatly resembles Quagsire named Clodsire.
The species has a major role in Pokémon 3: The Movie, in which they originate from a different dimension and are shown to have considerable power.
[233] Pokémon Legends: Arceus introduced a Hisuian variant of Qwilfish, which has the ability to evolve into Overqwil.
[260] Alongside the praying mantis, Scizor's design may also take inspiration from flying red ants and wasp mantidfly.
Unlike Delibird, Iron Bundle was regarded for its strength among the community, and was banned from popular competitive formats as a result.
[390] Suicune acts as the primary mascot and appears on the cover of the game Pokémon Crystal,[391] where it has its own plotline.
Due to the success of Pokémon: The First Movie, anime head writer Takeshi Shudo was given expanded freedom to write 2000.
Early concepts for the Pokémon- dating back to 1998- depict it as an all-black creature which bore a trumpet-like snout, with origins reminiscent of the Native American god Kokopelli, who was known for music and fertility.
Celebi's design eventually evolved as development progressed, shifting away from Native American influences into those based on Japanese Shinto beliefs.
According to Yoshida, he believed that it was created in order to "spruce up" the Ilex Forest area, though its original purpose was unknown.
[421] Prior rumors led Game Freak to release Celebi as part of an event involving the shrine.
Non-Asian versions of the game did not receive this distribution until the Virtual Console re-release of Pokémon Crystal in 2018; prior to this, its exclusivity further ramped up rumors in relation to Celebi's obtainment.
[229] Cian Maher, writing for TheGamer, considered the generation's Pokédex to have the strongest selection of Pokémon, noting its particularly memorable designs.
[423] Kayleigh Partleton, in an article for Pocket Tactics, found several of the designs from the generation, including Furret, Scizor, Wobbuffet, Miltank, Snubbull, Entei, and Togepi, as highly favorable and well-crafted.
