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Pokémon character designer Yusuke Omura has revealed how he created the designs of the Ultra Beasts, showing that even rejected concepts can prove inspirational to artists later on.
Ultra Beasts first appeared in the 3DS games Pokémon Sun and Moon (known as Generation VII of the Pokémon games) back in 2016. They are extradimensional Pokémon that come from Ultra Space, and occasionally stumble into the Pokémon World through wormholes.
Pokémon series character designer Yusuke Omura tweeted on February 4 about how he designed the Ultra Beasts. For Sun and Moon, Omura was the lead Pokémon character designer, continuing to work alongside original Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori.
Omura explained that he came up with the Ultra Beasts’ looks by thinking back on his Pokémon designs that Sugimori had rejected. Omura then explained: “I then deliberately based the artistic direction (of the Ultra Beasts’ designs) on the reasons that these Pokémon were rejected.”
“In a way, they are like a collective manifestation of my own resentment, which is kind of scary.” Omura noted, before clarifying: “This doesn’t mean that I hate Sugimori or anything like that.”
The Ultra Beasts are more sci-fi or insect-inspired than the cuter, often animal or plant-influenced designs of Ken Sugimori’s original Pokémon, like Squirtle or Bulbasaur. They also often have exaggerated features, like the mosquito-like Buzzwhole’s chunky muscles, or the elegant Phermosa’s long antenna.
In response to Omura’s tweet, users chimed in with praise for the Ultra Beasts’ designs. “Thank you for bringing Ultra Beasts into the world!” one user replied. “I think their otherworldly appearance also opened up new avenues for Pokémon.” Omura replied “I designed them hoping that would be the case.”
“It really feels like the Pokémon world expanded thanks to the Ultra Beasts,” another commenter added. “The designer’s hard work really paid off.” Many others hope that the Ultra Beasts will appear in another mainline Pokémon game in the future.
With Pokémon marking its 30th anniversary this year, fans can look forward to at least one new game coming out: Pokémon Pokopia. But it’s likely that there are more announcements in the pipeline. For starters, Jigglypuff will be appearing at the Superbowl (of all places…) in a special anniversary video this weekend.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
