Mega Dragonite, the first official new Mega-Evolved Pokemon announced forPokemon Legends: Z-A, has received a beautifully animated, pixelated makeover courtesy of one talented fan. Not all fans of thePokemonfranchise have been on board with Dragonite’s recent big reveal forPokemon Legends: Z-A, but others seem to be embracing it, as this Gen 5-inspired creation clearly shows.
A total of26 new Mega Evolutions have been promised forPokemon Legends: Z-A, the action-RPG follow-up to 2022’sPokemon Legends: Arceus. Set for release on October 16, the game will take place in the Kalos region, the setting ofPokemon X and Y, and the birthplace of the Mega Evolution mechanic that kicked off a number of fun, transformational gimmicks in subsequent generations ofPokemongames.
But one fan is using Dragonite’s recently revealed new form to mimic aPokemon Legendsgame set in the Unova region, using the 15-year-old Gen 5 pixel graphics style of the Nintendo DS to make it look as though Mega Dragonite just swooped intoPokemon Black and White. Reddit user R3dd1t_D4v1d updated some old sprite work to give the Mega Dragonite sprite some new features that match its look inPokemon Legends: Z-A. Most easily noticeable are the pair of angelic wings bursting forth from the side of the Dragon-type Pokemon’s head, but the pixel artist remembered the small details as well, incorporating the smaller pairs of wings added to its shoulders and ankles, the orb near the end of its tail, and the tiny new unicorn-like white horn on its forehead.
Pokemon Fan Recreates Mega Dragonite with Unova-Style Pixels
While the fan base seems pretty evenly split afterMega Dragonite’s design revealat the July 22 Pokemon Presents showcase, one thing most fans seem to be pretty solidly united in is their love for the old pixelated graphics that were lost after the franchise made the leap to the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.Pokemon Black and Whiteare far from the most popular mainline games in the franchise’s nearly 30-year history, but longtime fans seem nostalgic for the Nintendo DS days that merged old-school pixel graphics with the animated style now seen in the games.
There is still some derision overPokemon’s switch to 3D models nearly 12 years ago, but Mega Dragonite itself has been stirring the pot yet again with a new controversy. It seems somefans hate Mega Dragonite’s design, and a few fans with artistic skills have been hard at work creating and sharing their own design ideas that could have put a more unique spin on the original fully evolved Dragon-type Pokemon, with some tying it closer to its pre-evolutions' roots.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.
