Choosing a starter in a Pokemon game is a challenging and divisive one for players. This is especially true for the first generation of Pokemon, which has now been debated by the fan base for over 20 years. In a bid to add a new angle to these conversations, one Pokemon fan showed off these Pokemon from the first generation with their colors swapped.
Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander have each become iconic in the Pokemon franchise and have attracted their own fan bases. They each feature heavily in the original series and as do their evolutions. As would become tradition, these creatures have distinct colors that match their types.
This fan-made creation comes from u/BeautifulDecent2633, and it shows all three starters from the first generation as well as their evolutions in a new light. Starting with Bulbasaur and its evolutions, the artist has swapped its coloration with Squirtle’s evolutionary line. Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Venusaur all sport a blue tint to their skin while their bulbs and leaves take the orange coloration from the Water-type’s shells. The artist then swapped Squirtle and its evolutions with Charmander’s evolutionary line. This has resulted in red-tinted skin across all three as well as orange-tinted shells. The evolutionary line, take on the color scheme of Bulbasaur’s evolutions and has resulted in a green-heavy Charmander as well as a mix of green and a deep red Charmeleon and Charizard.
This coloration change would likely result in type changes for all three, shifting Charmander to Grass-type, Bulbasaur to Fire-type, and Bulbasaur to Water-type. Those taking on games in which these versions of the starters exist would no longer deal with the early frustration of bringing Charmander to fight Ash’s eventual companion in the Pokemon series, Brock. Unfortunately, that frustration would shift to Squirtle.
Fan-made color swaps are great ways for players to get a different look at Pokemon that have become firmly cemented in the franchise. These new starters would completely shift the choice for players who typically stick to a particular type and test their loyalties to designs. This would probably change the popularity rating of these Pokemon.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any type change will come for these Pokemon through any official game. While there have been plenty of type changes through alterations such as regional variants in recent Pokemon games, starters haven’t yet seen any examples. Either way, this player showed off an interesting new look for the Pokemon franchise’s first starters.
Source: Reddit - BeautifulDecent2633