RELATED: Pokemon: Every Mythical & Legendary Pokemon
As recent generations of Pokemon games have demonstrated though, new Pokemon aren’t the only way to freshen up the series’ ever-expanding roster. Regional forms allow the developers to build upon some of the many great designs from the earlier games, while also playing around with their stats and elemental types in order to transform the way that they perform in battle. There are 59 regional variants in total, with certain Pokemon like Meowth, Tauros, and Darmanitan having multiple regional forms.
Every Alolan Form Pokemon
Regional variants were first introduced in the Gen 7 Pokemon games Sun & Moon. There were eighteen Alolan Pokemon in total, with most of the designs aiming to capture the Hawaiian theme of the games. Needless to say, some worked much better than others.
Alolan Rattata
Alolan Raticate
Alolan Raichu
Alolan Sandshrew
Alolan Sandslash
Alolan Vulpix
Alolan Ninetails
Alolan Diglett
Alolan Dugtrio
Alolan Meowth
Alolan Persian
Alolan Geodude
Alolan Graveler
Alolan Golem
Alolan Grimer
Alolan Muk
Alolan Exeggutor
Alolan Marowak
RELATED: Pokemon Sun & Moon: The Best & Worst Alolan Redesigns
The designs of Alolan Exeggutor and Alolan Dugtrio were ridiculed by many series fans, yet some of the new type combinations ended up working surprisingly well. Alolan Ninetails was particularly useful in this regard, as too were the likes of Alolan Raichu and Alolan Marowak.
Every Galarian Form Pokemon
Pokemon Sword & Shield picked up right where their predecessors left off, with the games introducing 20 new Galarian Pokemon for players to enjoy. This time around, however, the developers opted not to focus so heavily on Gen 1 Pokemon, much to the delight of many fans.
RELATED: Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Best & Worst Galarian Redesigns
Why exactly Meowth needed another regional form is anybody’s guess, but that’s not to say that there weren’t still plenty of great Galarian Pokemon for players to add to their teams. Gen 8 also saw the first regional variants of Legendary Pokemon, with Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres all making their debuts in the games.
Every Hisuain Form Pokemon
Pokemon Legends: Arceus brought with it 17 new regional variants, including new forms for the final evolutions of the game’s three starters. This actually came as a welcome surprise to many players, as the developers somehow managed to do a fairly decent job of hiding it prior to the game’s release.
RELATED: Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Every Hisuian Pokemon (& Where to Find Them)
Legends: Arceus places much less of an emphasis on Gen 1 than Sun & Moon and Sword & Shield, with only four of the original 151 Pokemon being treated to Hisuian forms. That said, many consider Hisuian Growlithe and Arcanine to be among the best of the game’s regional variants, along with Steel/Dragon-type Hisuian Goodra.
Every Paldean Form Pokemon
Given how many Alolan, Galarian, and Hisuian Pokemon there are, many fans were incredibly disappointed with what Pokemon Scarlet & Violet had to offer. At the time of writing, there are just four Paldean Pokemon, three of which are just slightly different versions of the same Pokemon.
RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Every Paldean Pokemon (& Where to Find Them)
As a result, many fans are now hoping that new Paldean variants will be introduced through DLC, in much the same way that new and returning Pokemon were added to Sword & Shield through the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra expansions. Whether or not this will actually happen though remains to be seen.
MORE: Pokemon: Every Generation’s Starter Trio, Ranked
