Pokemon GOrecently brought back Giovanni to the game. The infamous Team Rocket boss has been a mainstay in thePokemonfranchise since the 90s, with appearances in the original video games and anime. Giovanni has also plaguedPokemon GOin the past, bringing with him his Team GO Rocket minions and corrupting Pokemon into Shadow Pokemon. With his current appearance inPokemon GO, Giovanni was up to similar misdeeds and brought with him a new lineup for himself and the other Team GO Rocket bosses as well.
Part ofGiovanni’s updated lineup inPokemon GOincluded the Shadow Pokemon, Lugia. Lugia has been a part of thePokemonfranchise almost as long as Giovanni and is one of the series most beloved characters. As the mascot forPokemon Silver, Lugia is almost instantly recognizable by many and has also been the focus of other fan-favorite entries in the franchise likePokemon: The Movie 2000as well asPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.
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Shadow Lugia
Shadow Lugia, like Lugia, is just as easily recognizable to many fans. This is partly because of its similar design but also because of how unique it is. While most other corrupted and altered Pokemon in the series are near identical to their original designs, Shadow Lugia feels and looks like a new Pokemon. The aspects of Lugia’s traditional design are present when players originally see Shadow Lugia inPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, but the overall aesthetic of Lugia is changed in the game. This combined withthe remarkable history of Lugia’s creation, andPokemon XD: Gale of Darknessbeing the only way to catch Lugia in Gen 3 without an event, guaranteed that fans would remember Shadow Lugia for years to come.
When the announcement forPokemon GOadding new Shadow Pokemonand bringing back Giovanni came out, many fans likely thought they would be able to see this version of Lugia once again. It had already been hinted that Shadow Lugia might be a part of Giovanni’s return, and many people were excited to see such an iconic Pokemon realized in the series another time. Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality that was delivered, and the Shadow Lugia that players encountered inPokemon GOis instead a regular Lugia with a Shadow aura rather than the Shadow Lugia fromPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.
While it might not have been likely that Shadow Lugia would appear exactly the same as it had inPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, it wasn’t impossible.Pokemon GOhas had varying looks for Pokemon over the years, with special editions of Pokemon like Pikachu standing out. The upcomingPokemon GOevent celebratingPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearleven features the Sinnoh starters wearing special hats. With this in mind, it felt possible that the original Shadow Lugia that fans had been introduced to in Gen 3 could return instead of a regular Lugia with a Shadow aura.
On top of this, thePokemonfranchise has been revisiting classic Pokemon and fan-favorites for several generations now. OncePokemon Legends: Arceusreleases regional forms of Pokemon will have been introduced into three different games in the Pokemon series, reimagining Pokemon that fans already know. While reintroducing Shadow Lugia as a variant of Lugia inPokemon GOmight not have been the most likely approach, it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility either.Hisuian Zorua and Zoroarkwere recently revealed forPokemon Legends: Arceus, and their tragic lore continues to touch on the darker aspects of the Pokemon universe much as Shadow Pokemon do.
Reintroducing Shadow Lugia could have continued with this approach and brought back a fan favorite Pokemon. The Shadow Pokemon inPokemon ColosseumandPokemon XD: Gale of Darknesswere great representations of how the poor treatment of Pokemon could corrupt them and be harmful, something thatTeam Rocketis also known for. WhilePokemon GOwould have still needed to have players cleanse Shadow Lugia, any approach that reprised its design from Gen 3 would have been appreciated by fans.
It’s still cool to see the Shadow mechanic being used inPokemon GO, but it doesn’t change the fact that it would have been nice to see any of these options explored. Shadow Lugia is iconic to many fans and introducing it to a new audience withPokemon GOwould have provided veteran players with another way to share some of their memories from earlierPokemongames. Shadow Lugia’s original design would have also brought an iconic Pokemon into the present while keeping the current Shadow Pokemon connected to the original concepts explored inPokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Hopefully, fans will see Shadow Lugia reprised in a futurePokemongame similar to the regional forms of other Legendary Pokemon like Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos inPokemon SwordandShield. For now, though, the encounter with Giovanni will be as close as payers get.
Pokemon GOis available now on Android and iOS devices.
