The Pokemon franchise has been in the business of creating pocket monsters for over 25 years. Each generation has featured Pokemon with incredibly unique designs and others that are noticeably inspired by real life. While the different designs that Pokemon has used across the series have garnered both criticism and praise, many of their creations appear related to each other. For some of these Pokemon, The Pokemon Company has placed them into categories that match one another, but others people would assume fit a type have been categorized differently.
A great example of Pokemon like this are the bat-like Pokemon that appear throughout the series. While there are several Pokemon that are officially categorized as "Bat Pokemon," there are also some that could easily fit into the category. The Pokemon are often incredibly common in cave areas and have been the bane of many players trying to navigate in the early stages of the game up to The Elite Four from Pokemon Red through Pokemon Sword.
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The first generation of games, Pokemon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow all featured the Pokemon Zubat and Golbat. Both Pokemon are from the same evolutionary line and have the same typing. As Poison and Flying-type Pokemon, they infested caves throughout the Kanto region. Zubat and Golbat were also the first Pokemon to be classified in the Bat Pokemon category and bear the most notable resemblance to peoples' idea of what a bat looks like.
Pokemon Gold and Silver built on the Zubat line with a second evolution and introduced its own bat-like Pokemon. Both Pokemon have dual typing, with Crobat keeping in line with the Poison and Flying combo that Zubat and Golbat had before it. Gligar, on the other hand, brings a unique type to the series.
Gligar is the first to be both Flying and Ground-type. While the contradictory typing might seem odd to some, it fits the Pokemon’s design well. It has some similar attributes to the other bat-like Pokemon in the series, but is categorized as the Flying Scorpion Pokemon. Given the pincer-like appendages and scorpion tail that Gligar has, it makes sense, but the Pokemon also strongly resemble a bat.
The third generation of Pokemon games skipped over any Pokemon that might resemble a bat or fall into the Bat Pokemon category, but Gen 4 was able to add one. Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, while remembered for their great gameplay and story, also added a number of evolutions to the series. This included Gliscor, an evolution for the bat-like Pokemon Gligar.
Gliscor keeps a lot of the design features of Gligar but makes some changes, primarily in terms of color and sharpness. The softer round edges that helped Gligar appear cute yet mischievous become hardened and sharp. These features are intensified by the black wings that Gliscor gains compared to Gligar’s purple ones.
The wings bear a striking resemblance to Batman's cape and add to the ferocity of the Fang Scorpion Pokemon. With yellow eyes and larger claws, this evolution drastically changes the aesthetic of its evolutionary line. Gliscor is easily the most intimidating Pokemon to don the appearance of a bat, and would make either Giovanni or Bruce Wayne proud.
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Gen 5 and Gen 6 each add two Pokemon that fit the bat motif. Gen 5’s Pokemon Black and White introduced Woobat and Swoobat. While both are members of the same evolutionary line, they do not land in the same category as Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat. Woobat does fall into the Bat Pokemon category like the other bats, but its evolution Swoobat is listed as the Courting Pokemon. With its heart-shaped nose, it is easy to see why it might enjoy a date night, but it definitely could have fit as a Bat Pokemon like the other.
Pokemon X and Y's Noibat and Noivern, like Swoobat, are oversized bats but share the categorization of being the Sound Wave Pokemon. While they probably have the most obvious Bat-like designs outside of Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat, they are also Dragon and Flying-type Pokemon instead of Poison. Noibat’s cute appearance lands it firmly as the least intimidating of the bat-like Pokemon the series has introduced so far, but Noivern’s design is noticeably intimidating.
Its oversized ears and sharp features are an excellent combination of a dragon and bat. The black, purple, and green palette that the Pokemon relies on creates an intimidating look, while oversized ears play to the use of echolocation seen in many real bats. Noivern is very much an apex predator, and this is reinforced by its large size, almost five feet tall, and tenacious hunting capabilities.
As large as Noivern is, it is easily dwarfed by Lunala. The Pokemon is stylized after both the moon and a bat while being the only Legendary Pokemon to bear a bat motif so far. The design for Lunala is much more intricate than other Pokemon that fit the same aesthetic, and its massive size just over thirteen feet makes it frightening.
While Lunala is beautiful and radiant in its design, the Pokemon thrives in the dark. Taking in any and all light around it, Lunala can plunge the surrounding environment into an artificial night as it feeds its power. Hailing from an alternate dimension like the other Ultra Beasts introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, Lunala is one of the more mysterious monsters in the series. It is also easily the most powerful to fit the bat motif so far.
Even though Lunala is classified as the Moone Pokemon, it is interesting to see how Pokemon has adapted real-world animals into unique creatures for the games. Many of the Pokemon throughout the series are notable for this, and while some are more objects come to life than fantasy animals, each brings its own strengths design-wise. With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl releasing this fall, fans will probably have to wait until next year for new Pokemon. Still, there is a lot of potential for classic designs to be revisited in Pokemon's ninth Generation.
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