Pokemon's Original Hitmontop Design Flipped Its Anatomy
Some of the only Pokemon that can be considered 'human-like' are the fighter class of pocket [...]
Some of the only Pokemon that can be considered "human-like" are the fighter class of pocket monsters such as Hitmonlee, Hitmonchamp, and our subject for today: Hitmontop. This Pokemon is unique in that it spins on top of its head in order to deliver some crushing blows against its opponents, arms and legs flying akimbo. Did you know though that the original design for this brawler was going to be very different from the one that we got from this second generation arrival?
Twitter User DrLavaYT shared the original design for Hitmontop that didn't just display a color swap, but a completely new biology and appearance that was far less humanoid than the current design of this scrapper pocket monster:
Early Hitmontop:
In Gold & Silver's 1997 demo, Hitmontop's anatomy was upside-down. But in G&S's release version, he was revised into simply standing on his head.
1. Spaceworld '97 demo sprite
— Dr. Lava's Lost Pokemon (@DrLavaYT) August 29, 2019
2. (Recreation by @RacieBeep)
3. Gold release version sprite
4. Gen 2 release artwork pic.twitter.com/0vqm4hR7ln
As mentioned earlier, Hitmontop appeared in the second generation of Pokemon, hitting the scene after the initial 150 battling creatures. While this fighter hasn't gotten the most screen time in the Pokemon anime, or the subsequent live action Detective Pikachu feature length film, it did make its first appearance outside of the video game world in the series episode, Pikachu & Pichu. We'll have to see if the fighting pocket monster manages to re-appear at some point in the future, though with so many Pokemon constantly appearing, its a dog eat dog battle for screen time.
What do you think of the original design for the fighting Pokemon, Hitmontop? Is this pocket monster a regular in your roster? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Pokemon!
If you haven't kept up with the current run of the anime, Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon is described as such, "What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum's quest to become a Pokémon Master! There's plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak.
More new faces will help guide Ash's Alolan adventure, in the form of a group of skilled Trainers—Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles—and a mysterious research assistant called Lillie. Frequent foes Team Rocket have also made the trip to Alola, looking to swipe some high-powered new Pokémon. But they have some heavy competition on the villainy front: the ruffians of Team Skull, who delight in causing chaos and may have more sinister intentions..."
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