A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player and artist took it upon themselves to create a Paradox concept for Poliwrath, a Pokemon from the first generation of games. The artist then posted their handiwork on social media for other Pokemon fans to see, and received compliments for their creativity and design.
Known as the Tadpole Pokemon, Poliwrath is a Water and Fighting dual-type Pokemon that first appeared in Pokemon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. It was the only Pokemon with that type pairing until the appearance of Keldeo in Pokemon Black and White and is one of the final forms of the Poliwag line. Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl at level 25 and grows arms upon evolution. However, Poliwhirl received split evolutions starting in Pokemon Gold and Silver, and each was acquired via different methods. When exposed to a Water Stone, Poliwhirl can become Poliwrath. Alternatively, Poliwhirl can evolve into Politoed via trade while holding a King's Rock and gain a vastly different appearance from the rest of the Poliwag line. When designing a new Paradox Pokemon based on Poliwrath, one artist decided to combine elements from the entire Poliwag line in the design.
On Reddit, a user named HertzBurst posted their concept of a Paradox Poliwrath on the r/pokemon subreddit. HertzBurst dubbed their creation "Iron Swirl" as a reference to the swirl pattern on the belly of the entire Poliwag line. HertzBurst also gave Poliwrath a Water and Steel dual-type. Were it to exist, Iron Swirl would be exclusive to Pokemon Violet, as is the case with other Future Paradox Pokemon. In HertzBurst's design, the angry expression of Poliwrath's eyes was retained but given a robotic, LED-like expression. Also, Politoed's green body, fingers, and toes were included in the design of Iron Swirl, as well as Politoed's curled antenna atop its head.
Theoretically, Iron Swirl would be the only Pokemon aside from Empoleon to be a Water and Steel dual-type Pokemon, and it would be the only Future Paradox Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet to have it. However, for their work, HertzBurst received over 1.2k upvotes on r/pokemon and received praise in the comments for including Politoed in the design of Iron Swirl. While Poliwrath has had tributes to it in the past, such as a tattoo based on Poliwrath fan art, the Tadpole Pokemon is generally considered underrepresented by Pokemon fans.
Despite the fact that the Poliwag line is not in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at the time of writing, only time will tell if they will return in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC later this year. However, thanks to the work of artists such as HertzBurst, Poliwrath will not be forgotten by Pokemon fans anytime soon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
