The rather pathetic Magikarp and its ferocious evolution Gyarados both returned in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, making them some of the few Pokemon to have appeared in all nine generations of games. While the iconic Generation 1 Pokemon was only available in its standard form, information from the game's code suggests that convergent Evolution versions of both Magikarp and Gyarados were intended to appear in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region. These convergent Magikarp and Gyarados versions could have walked on land, resembled a unique Magikarp decoration from Pokemon Legends Arceus, or played into the past vs. future theme of the games by referencing Magikarp's original Pokedex entry.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature two convergent evolutionary lines, both resembling Generation 1 Pokemon but featuring completely different Type combinations. Toedscool and Toedscruel are mushroom-like Ground/Grass Pokemon that resemble land-walking versions of Generation 1 Water/Poison-types Tentacool and Tentacruel. In the game's code, Toedscool and Toedscruel are called OKAKINGU and OKAGYARADOSU, seemingly indicating that they replaced the planned Magikarp and Gyarados at a late date. This is further supported by the fact that regular Magikarp and Gyarados appear in Paldea, while Tentacool and Tentacruel do not. It is not confirmed why this convergent evolution was scrapped, but, had it made it into the game, its concept could have worked in a variety of ways.
Convergent Magikarp And Gyarados Could Have Walked On Land
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Given that convergent Magikarp and Gyarados were replaced by Toedscool and Toedscruel, it is possible that they would have featured a similar concept: a version of a normally water-dwelling Pokemon that walks on land. If this is the case, they could have been Grass, Rock, Ground, or even Bug-type Pokemon. As Toedscool and Toedscruel are designed to resemble the wood ear fungus, a land-bound Magikarp could have also taken inspiration from a plant or mushroom. Given that Magikarp is an extremely common and fairly weak Pokemon, it could have been associated with a weed or quickly-spreading plant like kudzu, dandelions, or clover. Due to its draconic appearance, a plant-based Gyarados could have been inspired by snapdragons or dragonfruit.
Alternately, a land-walking Magikarp and Gyarados could have taken inspiration from insects instead. Gyarados's long body brings to mind centipedes or millipedes. The image of a multi-limbed Gyarados scuttling rapidly toward an unsuspecting trainer as they explore the open world of Paldea is certainly a terrifying one. It's likely this creature would have Intimidate as an Ability, given how frightening it would be, also retaining Gyarados' original Ability. Although many Pokemon have already drawn from the "caterpillar turns into a butterfly" imagery, most notably Generation 1's Caterpie, Metapod, and Butterfree, this would still be a good fit for Magikarp, which starts out weak but becomes powerful when evolved into Gyarados.
A Detail in Legends: Arceus Makes Magikarp's Scrapped Form More Interesting
Once the information regarding the scrapped OKAKINGU and OKAGYARADOSU was revealed, Pokemon fans on Twitter began searching for clues. One user, going by FlowersBlooms15, pointed out an interesting detail in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which released in early 2022, that might provide some information. Some of the houses in Legends: Arceus' Jubilife Village feature a central cooking area with a pot hanging over a fireplace via a decorative hook shaped like a Magikarp. However, the decoration has some differences compared to standard Magikarp: larger fins, no whiskers, and a more detailed scale pattern. Some fans have begun to theorize that this design may have been intended for OKAKINGU.
Convergent Magikarp appearing in Legends: Arceus, which takes place in the distant past of the modern Sinnoh region, would fit well with the "past vs. future" theme of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. This Magikarp could have existed in ancient times and persisted until the modern day, unlike the ancient Paradox Pokemon which were forcibly brought from the past in Pokemon Scarlet. It could potentially reference the original Pokemon Red and Blue Pokedex entry for Magikarp, which states that the now-weak Pokemon was once much stronger a long time ago. This hypothetical "ancient Magikarp" could be an extremely powerful Pokemon to start out with, rather than one which must evolve to become viable in combat. The name "OKAKINGU" suits this, as the inclusion of "king" suggests power and authority.
Will These Scrapped Convergent Pokemon Make an Appearance?
It has not been confirmed exactly why the hypothetical convergent Magikarp and Gyarados were removed from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, although it is currently theorized that the removal happened late in the development process due to their names remaining in the game's code. This means that it is not impossible that these convergent Pokemon could still show up in some capacity. Their most likely appearance would be in the form of DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The previous games, Pokemon Sword and Shield, had two DLC expansions, Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor, both of which added new Pokemon to the game. It is likely that the Generation 9 games will follow this trend and release at least one paid expansion in the future.
A hypothetical DLC featuring these Pokemon should ideally focus more heavily on convergent species. While the concept was introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, it was not heavily used. Only two convergent lines - Wiglett and Toedscool and their evolutions Wugtrio and Toedscruel - appeared in the games. They were generally overshadowed by the many past and future Paradox Pokemon appearing in Area Zero. A potential DLC could feature an entire area, such as a new island, inhabited by Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's convergent species and could include the player character researching convergent evolution as part of their studies at Naranja or Uva Academy.
An alternate method of introducing convergent Magikarp and convergent Gyarados to the games would be via a limited-time Tera Raid event. Powerful Pokemon such as Charizard and Cinderace have been introduced to the ninth-generation games via special seven-star Tera Raid events, which up to four players can team up to conquer together. Currently, no previously unreleased Pokemon have been added to the game in this manner, but this does not mean that they will not be in the future. A convergent Gyarados would make an excellent choice to add to Scarlet and Violet via Tera Raids, especially if it remains as powerful and dangerous in combat as the Generation 1 original.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are currently available for the Nintendo Switch.
