Summary
ThePokemonseries has a variety of traditions that fans have come to expect to be a part of each new generation, with many continuing to be present even in the most recent titlesPokemon Scarlet and Violet. While some of these traditions have become recent trends for the series having first appeared in the past few generations, others are deeply entrenched in the series' history. However, as popular as some series traditions are, others are seen as outdated or holding the series back which might mean it’s finally time to break them with the release ofPokemonGen 10.
With new features like a completely open world and the lack of random encounters in tall grass,Pokemon Scarlet and Violetalready broke several traditions that seemed like evergreen parts of the series' identity. As thePokemonfranchise continues to grow and expand, it’s clear that some features that were once thought to be staples of the series might no longer be necessary or could be modernized to fit current game design trends better. Other traditions deserve to be broken purely for the sake of variety or to build upon a one-off feature that has since been buried in the series' past.
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Fire, Water, and Grass-Type Starters
Outside the games where players are given a Pikachu or Eevee as a starter, most trainers start theirPokemonjourney by choosing one of three startersrepresenting either the Fire, Water, or Grass type. These three types represent a perfect type triangle where they are each super effective against one of the other types and resist another to help new players understand the fundamentals of type advantages in the series. However, there are other trios of types that could work for Gen 10’s starters, even if they don’t form a perfect type triangle.
Other Potential Starter Type Triangles
Friendly Rivals
Rivals in thePokemonseriesare typically used to check the player’s progression against an NPC with a similar type of team to that of the player as their journeys mirror one another. In Gen 1 and Gen 2, the player’s rivals were both somewhat rude and overly confident in a way that made players want to become strong enough to put them in their place. However, in the generations that followed, rivals have become overly friendly and often aloof, so a return to the fierce competition against an unlikable rival in Gen 10 would make for an interesting break from the series' recent trend.
It’s become somewhat of a meme within thePokemoncommunity that the player character hardly ever has a father present in any of the generations. The one exception to this tradition is in Gen 3 where the player’s father is also the Petalburg City Gym Leader Norman, although many players considerProfessor Oakto be a father figure in the earlier generations. The series could take a page out of Gen 3’s book for Gen 10 and give the player a father who is featured prominently in the game’s story, perhaps as the champion or leader of the villainous team.
Not-So-Evil Teams
Every generation ofPokemonhas featured an evil team intent on impeding the player’s progress and often attempting to use the region’s Legendary to enact their nefarious plans. However, recent generations have dialed down the sinister nature of these “evil” teams and made them more of an annoyance than an actual threat. Gen 8’s Team Yell andGen 9’s Team Starare much less menacing than teams like Team Galactic or Team Plasma that have ambitions of world domination, and Gen 10 should break this recent trend and raise the stakes posed by the generation’s villainous team.
Past Regions Being Off Limits Outside of Remakes
Ever sincePokemon Crystallet players explore both Johto and Kanto, fans have been hoping that the series would continue the tradition of letting them revisit past regions in future generations. Even when games likePokemon Scarlet and Violetprovided the perfect opportunity to revisit the past region of Kalos, the series continued to stick to the trend of preventing players from revisiting previous regions within a single game. While the DLC forPokemon Scarlet and Violetlets players get a glimpse at other regions like Kitakami andUnova via Blueberry Academy, Gen 10 should go all in on a second fully explorable region like in Gen 2.
Dragon-Type Pseudo-Legendary
Among the new critters added in each generation, players can expect to find aPseudo-Legendarythat can be identified by its base stat total of 600, putting these mons just shy of the stat total needed to achieve Legendary status. However, with the exceptions of Tyranitar and Metagross, every Pseudo-Legendary has been a Dragon type, which has pigeonholed the design potential for these awesome creatures. Gen 10 should break this tradition and feature a Pseudo-Legendary similar to Tyranitar and Metagross that doesn’t include the Dragon typing at all to allow for a fresh take on one of the generation’s most powerful monsters.
Missing National Dex
Arguably the most controversial tradition among recentPokemongenerations is theremoval of the National Dexwhich limits which critters players can transfer into a specific generation. This trend began with Gen 8’sPokemon Sword and Shieldbut has continued into Gen 9 withPokemon Scarlet and Violetas well. Although it seems unlikely that Gen 10 would break this trend given the ever-increasing scope of the series which has now surpassed 1,000 total critters, Nintendo’s next console might have the hardware necessary to support a complete National Dex and alleviate this sore spot within the fandom.
