Regional variants have been breathing new life into Pokémon for the past few games. Pokémon Legends: Arceus continued this trend despite taking place in historic Sinnoh. This leads some fans to wonder what happened to these variants, especially for Pokémon who weren’t present even in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Some have both of their forms available in the game, while others completely slip over to their new variations. They all get some changes beyond their appearance which receive mixed reviews from fans. Regardless, they are interesting takes on some old favorites or bring some unloved creatures up to par.
12 Growlithe/Arcanine Gain Rock Typing
Growlithe and Arcanine have been counterparts to Vulpix and Ninetails since the beginning. Once Alola rolled around and the Vulpix line got their special regional forms, it felt a little strange that Growlithe was left behind. That has finally been remedied in Legends: Arceus with the iconic tiger-dog finally getting a little refresh in the form of a Hisuian variant.
The biggest difference between the Hisuian forms and their originals is that they are no longer strictly Fire-type. That’s not where it ends, however. The Hisuian forms have a higher spread of stats where it counts, more resistances, and also more weaknesses with two of them being x4. They are also slightly larger on average than the Kantonian versions, though that’s mostly flavor text.
11 Voltorb/Electrode Get A Little Goofier
Voltorb had previously been a rather unloved, gimmicky sort of Pokémon that lost a lot of its gimmick potential once the games moved to 3D and items stopped being represented by a pokéball sprite. They got a little more love with their Hisuian variant, as well as a cute little set of shorts about a Voltorb getting so excited about berries that it chars a whole bunch of them.
Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode gain a Grass typing and need a Leaf Stone to evolve, unlike a simple level evolution in previous incarnations. They get heavier, gain Water and Grass resistances while losing their Flying resistance, and get some additional weaknesses.
10 Typhlosion Goes Ghost
Typhlosion goes a little calmer in Hisui as it gains a Ghost typing, laid-back ears, and a smile instead of being a permanent ball of rage. It was also one of the first leaks for Legends: Arceus and divided fans as a result.
It’s a little smaller and lighter than the Johto Typhlosion, with slightly worse base stats where it matters but overall the same total. However, it gains two immunities due to its Ghost typing and gains Poison resistance. It does gain weakness to Dark and Ghost types to tack onto its former weaknesses too.
9 Qwilfish Gains An Evolution
Qwilfish has been low on the priority of most players, having poor stats and no evolution, until now. It even becomes important for catching the mythical Pokémon Manaphy, though the hint for that is hidden in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl within the Canalave Library.
It gains the evolution Overqwil and utilizes the Strong Style feature of Legends Arceus to achieve this. It loses its Water typing in Hisui and exchanges it for Dark, has some minor stat differences, gains an immunity, and knocks just about everything else to neutral damage. It’s definitely a worthwhile update for the little pufferfish, even if it doesn’t change too much before it evolves.
8 Sneasel Loses All Its Typing & Gains A New Evolution
Sneasel loses its Dark/Ice trickster persona in favor of a Fighting/Poison set while also gaining a new, split evolution in the form of Sneasler. Hisuian Sneasel has to evolve in the day after being exposed to a Razor Claw, while Johtonian Sneasel has to be exposed during the night in order to evolve into Weavile.
It loses an immunity but gains quite a few resistances while also dropping a handful of weaknesses. However, Psychic now does 4x damage where it used to be immune, so that is definitely something to be cautious about when battling with it.
7 Samurott Goes Dark
Samurott doesn’t visually change too much in Hisui, but it does gain a Dark typing when it had previously been solely Water. It is significantly lighter in Hisui, which is reflected in its better speed stat. The rest of the stats are varied between each form, but the overall total is the same.
It gains immunity to Psychic and a couple of resistances, but the most impressive change is its move pool. It gains access to moves such as False Swipe, Psycho Cut, Hyper Beam, and Megahorn by tutoring with the Security Corps, which really gives it a fabulous edge.
6 Lilligant Becomes A Fighter
Lilligant has been the foil for Whimsicott for a while, but without the amazing competitive potential of the other Pokémon. It gains a fighting type in Hisui, while also being all-around larger in both height and weight.
Its Speed and Attack take major boosts at the cost of Special Attack, which is fine considering its new Fighting type. This addition also gives it some more resistances, though it does knock Flying into x4 weakness territory.
5 Zorua/Zoroark Get Unique Typing
The Zorua line has been a rather beloved line since its debut. It was treated as an event exclusive, got its own movie, and all-around has been a fan-favorite. This continued happening with its own collection of teaser trailers showcasing its new and unique Normal/Ghost typing and a special mask just for the Hisuian Zoroark.
The stats have taken a bit of a shuffle in Hisui, but it’s now only weak to one type and has three immunities. It also gains a lovely signature move in Bitter Malice, which has a strong chance of leaving the opponent with Frostbite, doubling if the target already has a status condition.
4 Braviary Becomes Psychic
Braviary had been pretty much ignored before this point, where now it’s going to be getting a lot of screen time. It becomes the player’s flying mount towards the end of the main story, so a good chunk of the postgame and Dex filling will be spent staring at the back of this bird.
It’s bigger in both height and weight than its original version, and it drops its Normal typing in favor of Psychic. This in turn gives it a much higher Special Attack and HP, at the cost of its other stats in order to keep their totals the same. It does lose its Ghost immunity, adds Ghost and Dark to weaknesses, and adjusts its resistances from two to three.
3 Sliggoo/Goodra Get A Steel Shell
The Goomy line was something that really could have used some affection before, being the only Pseudo-legendary with only one type before this point. Now this already tanky Pokémon gains a Steel typing, making it a force to reckon with even without being an Alpha.
It’s both heavier and larger than its base version, gains a ton of resistances, a poison immunity, and knocks its weaknesses down to only Ground and Fighting. Additionally, its Defense stat skyrockets, though at the cost of many of its other stats. That makes it a perfect punching bag when trying to catch pesky Pokémon, however.
2 Avalugg Gets Some Color
Avalugg really needed some affection. It gains a Rock typing and manages to get faster and much smaller. This is at the cost of its Special stats, so it really needs to focus on Physical moves.
It does gain a signature move, Mountain Gale, which is used in full effect during the Frenzied battle with the Lord. It gains some resistances while also getting quite a few more weaknesses, including a x4 to Fighting.
1 Decidueye Becomes More Fierce
If there was any sort of backlash to the starter trio designs, Decidueye got the brunt of it. It loses its archer gimmick and has the most drastic redesign of all three starters, which caused some fans to need to take some extra time before they got comfortable with it. Others however really benefitted from having a sturdy Grass type on their team early on.
Hisuian Decidueye is slightly larger in both height and weight than its Alolan counterpart. It drops its Ghost typing in favor of Fighting and shifts around its stats a bit to focus a little heavier on Attack. It loses its immunities but gains some resistances, but that also gives it more weaknesses. This includes a x4 to Flying, which feels a little bit like a kick to the teeth considering it had to drop that type to gain Fighting in the first place.
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