Leaked Gen 1 Pokemon Designs!

[Crossroads Bulletin]

Check out these new leaks from an early build of the original Pokemon Red and Green.

Assets from an early build of Pokemon Red and Green have been released by a private game collector and posted by Helix Chamber, giving us a new look at unusued Pokemon designs, an early version of the Kanto map, beta attack lists, and more as we look back into the what could have been for one of the world’s most beloved video game franchises. This situation is similar to the beta reveals from Gold and Silver last year, but this situation is a little bit different this time. Helix Chamber were unable to secure the full version of the beta. However, they were able to negotiate with the collector to receive some of its assets. Part of the terms and conditions was that only back sprites were released, not front sprites. That being said, it does reveal quite a bit more than we knew before and is a treasure trove of Pokemon history.

One of the first pieces released was two prototype title screens, the two images above. These images are interesting as in the first image we are able to see and confirm that Pocket Monsters was not the original name for the game, but rather Capsule Monsters was supposed to be the original title. I guess Capumon does have a nice ring to it too. In addition, in the second image we see an earlier design for Rhydon, with its horn lacking a drill pattern, it having an additional horn on its head, and bearing a lot more teeth.

One other major perk to the release of these sprites is the advent of being one step closer to completing the Missingno dex. For those not familiar, the Missigno dex is a collection of blank spots in the original pokedex of Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue that were originally supposed to contain certain Pokemon, but were later cut for unknown reasons. Through hacking, it is possible to encounter these slots, but not the Pokemon in them, resulting in a Missigno encounter. For years, through early release data and hacking, users across the Internet have been trying to figure out what fits into these slots, and with the release of these back sprites, only a few more slots remain a mystery.

Pictured above are the members of the Missingno Dex thus far. The first member is the Pokemon known as Omega. Notably, in the picture above it does not contain a back sprite. This is because its slot was overriden by Mew at some point in the development, and it is unlikely we will ever see its sprite. However, its name is listed on the original prototype cry list and it is likely this Pokemon was based on mechagodzilla.
Next up we have Gyaoon/Gyace. The second Capumon is said to be the inspiration for Tyranitar. It is known that it was scrapped fairly early on in development, but it appears to have been readded with some design changes at this stage in development. Notably, its head spikes seem to be smaller, but it still has the same eyes that the Capumon version did.
Slot 32 holds a fairly familiar looking Pokemon that is a Nidoran Male or Nidorino look alike. It has two horns on its back, like Nidorina, and has Nidorino’s general body shape and ears. It leads to theories about if Nidorina and Nidorino were once part of the same evolutionary family, or if there was another evolution planned.
Slot 50 holds Barunda, a balloon themed Pokemon that is thought to be the inspiration for the Jigglypuff line. This Pokemon in particular is not entirely new news, as its front sprite was revealed in the Tajiri Manga. However, the new back sprite gives us a much clearer look at it as compared to the low resolution photo we had previously.
Slot 52 is quite a surprise that brings up a lot of interesting theories. The Pokemon, titled Buu, appears to be a more masculine and yeti type version of Jynx. It is theorized it was supposed to be the male form of Jynx which explains why Jynx looks so feminine and furthers both their yokai inspirations. Though the inspiration for Buu is a little less clear. The sources on the Helixchamber suspect the inspiration might by “Woo”, a similar yeti-like kaiju with a dark face from Ultraman. The only problem is, Woo from Ultraman was actually a female and that may have been the reason for its eventual removal. With the obviously play on the name “Woo” and the fact that it stands between “Elebuu” and “Buuber” in the index, it is obvious it was meant to complete the trio.
Slot 56 features another previously known beta Pokemon, Deer. While more can be seen on its front sprite from the Tajiri Manga, its back sprite implies not many changes were made before it was scrapped. Its moveset implies it was to know at least one psychic move though and have access to Thunderwave, leading to the possibility that it was reskined into Stantler for Gold and Silver.
Slot 61 holds one of the more notorious previously known beta Pokemon, the fan named “Elephantko”. While its actual name besides the “ko” at the end remains a mystery, we now have a much better look at it as compared to its picture from the Tajiri Manga. We can now see that it was slated to have four tusks and was likely going to be a pun on a famous elephant in Japan named Hanako.
Crocky is back in slot 62 showing off some design alterations from its appearance in the Tajiri Manga. Crocky’s backsprite now has spikes on its head rather than hair. As a result it looks much more crocodile or dragon-like.
Slots 63 and 122 reveal two squid/kracken inspired pokemon that while not officially stated to be an evolutionary family, bear some resemblances that indicate such. 63 looks a little like Omanyte, possibly being reskined into the fossil Pokemon or having no influence on it whatsoever. 122, on the other hand, resembles many other squid designs in other Nintendo games, like the Blooper from Mario or Squishy from Kirby. It is also possible the reason they’re so far apart is because 63 was intended to be a standalone Pokemon until 122 was added as an evolution.
The Pokemon in slot 67, known as Cactus, has returned and has a cry on the official list. With it resurfaces the interesting history of a possible desert area in the Kanto region where this Pokemon would have been found. However, it is unknown if the desert concept ever got out of the beta stages and this could have been why Cactus was eventually scrapped.
Slot 68 marks the return of the shark pokemon Jagg that likely served as the inspiration for subsequent beta and actual shark pokemon like Sharpedo.
Slot 69 introduces us to a new pre-evolution that has been previously unrevealed. It appears Game Freak always intended for the zubat line to be three stages, but with zubat as the second stage instead of the first. I have to admit I find the little guy rather cute as it reminds me of a Halloween decoration. Though, with such a small body, I’m left to wonder if anything more than eyes or a mouth was on its face.
Slots 79 and 80 also introduce two new Pokemon but unfortunately these ones do now have any Tajiri Manga front sprites, leaving them nameless and their designs unclear. They appear to be either birds or fish, possibly being a play on the flying fish. However, it is hard to decipher from just the back sprite. That being said their movesets imply legs or feet, leading theorists to believe it was going to be a water/fighting type.
First debuting in the Gold and Silver leaks last year, Mikon returns in slot 81. Cited as the probable reason for Vulpix’s pokedex entries referencing one tail splitting into six, this pre-evolution’s cry was also released along with this new data. That being said, it sounds very distinct and different from the rest of the line, but it’s still cute to think about what Mikon could have been.
Slots 86 and 87 are a similar case to slots 79 and 80 where the backsprite does not provide much in the way of inspirations for designs. There are many different theories as to what they could be, with my personal favorite being windup toys, but there is no way to know for sure. The only certainty is that the knot on the top of 87’s head definitely indicates some distinct Japanese influences in the design.
Slots 94, 95, and 174 are possibly the original dragon type line that were the predecessors or counterparts of the Dratini line. They could be based on Chinese water dragons, a species of lizard common to China that spend time in watery areas and are popular as pets.
Slots 115 and 121 are unfortunately missing. These two mystery Pokemon are theorized to be evolutions to Pokemon like Crocky or Farfetch’d. However, there is not much on them and the sprites in what video resources exist are just too blurry to make out. Thus, they remain a mystery for the time being.
Did you know the Psyduck line was originally intended to be a three stage evolution too? Slot 127 holds what is theorized to be the middle evolution for the Psyduck line. It bears a striking resemblance to Psyduck but was likely cut just due to balancing or redundancy. Its cry was also released, but was rather strange. That being said, editing the cry does make it sound more plausible for what might have actually been used in game.
Konya, the Meowth preevolution, also returns in this deep dive. However, it has some very notable design changes from what we saw in the Gold and Silver leaks last year. Its backsprite looks more like it was standing up at this point, instead of in Spaceworld, where it was lying down; additionally, the tail is long and straightened instead of short and curled. It’s also noticeably bigger than Meowth’s back sprite, but as we saw in the Tajiri Manga, Meowth was also bigger earlier on, so this may explain the discrepancy.
Slot 135 is also missing. While its front sprite has been revealed in a video, it is unfortunately too blurry to make out, leaving this Pokemon’s identity up to speculation.
Slot 137 bears a similar cry and sprite to Gyaoon, so it is possible this was its preevolution. Obviously, it was initially scrapped, but its face and body do bear some resemblance to the substitute plush, so perhaps its design was not entirely lost to time.
Slot 140 is a bit of a mystery. It appears to be a copy of Magneton and could have possibly been a middle or final stage for that line but was cut for balancing or redundancy purposes. I theorize it was likely the latter as based on the backsprite it looks almost identical to Magneton.
Slot 146 reveals that Cubone was also meant to be a three stage pokemon! This Marowak evolution is rather sad though, as it appears to be holding a baby Cubone in its arms similar to that of a Kangaskhan. It also has large spikes on its back so perhaps this was meant to be a father Marowak or a happy ending for the mother Marowak.
Gyopin returns as the preevolution for Goldeen, with the new backsprite appearing to be its original design before it was updated in the Gold and Silver beta sprites reveal. It seemed to have gotten fairly far in development, even getting a moveset and evolution data.
Kotora and Raitora return from their reveal in the Gold and Silver beta reveals, but with a surprise twist. Joining the members of slots 159 and 160, in 161 appears to be a third stage for Kotora. It seems many electric types in Gen 1 were destined to be cut many from three stages to two.
Slot 162 marks the return of Puchicorn from the Gold and Silver leaks. It appears as if this baby Pokemon were always planned for Gen 1, especially with the advent of the new Zubat preevolution too.
Slot 172 is an interesting case, with two predominant theories as to what it could be. Due to the presence of spots and a nose ring, initially it appears to be a cow and possibly a counterpart or preevolution for Tauros. However, new theories have surfaced that since Blastoise was not always intended to be the third stage for Squirtle, this Pokemon was its preevolution, which could be plausible if you squint a little at the design. Overall, this one really needs a front sprite to clear things up.
Slot 175 is by far one of the most popular reveals from this dump, the backsprite for the infamous Gorochu. It looks a bit different from the design we saw when it was revealed last year, notably only having one horn instead of two. Either way, it is interesting to see that Gorochu made it so far into development.
Slot 181 brings in the original evolution planned for Wartortle that bears a much closer resemblance to the first stage starter. It had only one move in its moveset, but Squirtle and Wartortle had a lot of fighting moves, so it seems likely this Pokemon was going to be closer to the ninja turtle design that is commonly joked about, and even could have been part fighting type.

New beta Pokemon were not the only new reveals, new trainer data was also revealed. Notably, here is the beta sequence for your transformation sequence to enter the game. The two sprites on the left seem to imply that you’d evolve in a similar manner to Pokemon Conquest, as the trainer to the far left looks far more experienced and even carries a whip. This theory holds a lot more weight when you realize it was revealed that the Rival sprite was also intended to do this at one point. It was also revealed the trainer’s original name was Yuuichi, which is pretty interesting.

The sprite appears to be for the trainer class “Student”. It is not really known what her design was reworked into if at all. Though some theorize it might have been reskinned as the Lass or Cool Trainer F classes.

Not going to lie, this is probably my favorite of the cut trainers. Its design is rather complex, with Shinjuku being a Japanese commerce district within Tokyo but this seems to have no bearing on the design. It does, however, bear a great deal of resemblance to a robot, which would have been really interesting to see in the games, if you asked me.


Similar to the later Doctor, Nurse, and Police Officer classes, the Firefighter class is based on the emergency worker that it shares its name with. While it is not known what Pokemon types it would’ve specialized in, it is theorized water, rock, and ground types would’ve been its specialties and that it was likely cut due to classes such as Swimmer creating somewhat of a reptitiveness.


Bearing a sharp resemblance to Blaine’s sprite in later generations, we have the “Silph Chief” sprite. It is unclear what role this trainer class would have played, though due to its proximity in the index to the Scientist class it is possibly another trainer class you would have fought during the Silph takeover.

Theorized to have been the original Viridian City gym leader, this trainer sprite should look somewhat familiar as we have seen the original Sugimori art for it before. The “Yujirou” sprite has a lot of mystery around it, with some theorizing he was supposed to be a normal type gym leader or someone who introduced new players to status conditions early on in the game due to him owning a Lickitung.

Brock was not always the Pewter City gym leader. Initially, it was this guy, Ichitarou. “Ichitarou” sounds like a pun on the number one in Japanese, “ichi”, meaning that it is possible you still challenged the Pewter City gym before Viridian, but a lack of a true development plan really leaves a lot up in the air when it comes to theories.

Katsura returns from his Sugirmori sketch reveal previously. Blaine’s predecessor, this army man was supposed to have holes in the floor of his gym that implied there were bombs inside his gym. Due to his military linkage, perhaps he was friends with Lt. Surge?

This sprite, known as Umezou, has probably been one of the biggest for theory fodder. The use of “Ume” in the name implies that he was likely you or your rival’s younger brother. This is further substantiated by Blue’s original name being “Take”, which is the second of the three tier system in Japan, with “Ume” being the first.
There are obviously more details to be revealed into this deep dive, including overworld sprites and even trainer parties. So, if you want to see more like prototype maps and a full cry list, head over to the Helix Chamber for more details on their full dive into this new beta information.
The post Leaked Gen 1 Pokemon Designs! appeared first on Pokémon Crossroads.


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[Neo Emolga]

I'm sure we're going to see all kinds of new fan art over at dA. XD

Some of these are pretty weird-looking though. Crocky looks like nightmare fuel. XD